Mortals, Gods, and Demons
by Aysu
Summary: A shadow once again stretches forth, and once again, it's up to the team to stop it. But this time, they have help from an old and unlikely acquaintance. Post EBF4 semi-AU, Warnings inside.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer:_** _I do not own Epic Battle Fantasy, its world, its plot, or its characters! They belong to Matt Roszak. I will only be borrowing these elements for the purpose of this story, not for any monetary/physical profit on my part._

 _ **Warnings:** Blood, language, violence, attempted suicide_

 _ **A/N:** So, for those of you who read my other works have probably noticed that I've slowed down a lot with the update speed of my stories. I promise that that's not because I'm not writing, or because I've dropped a story. I plan to finish each and every one of my stories, and do make an effort to do so almost daily. The problem is that now that I've really gotten into writing, my mind has split in several dozen directions with (in my humble opinion) awesome story plots, and the ideas flow easier for some plots then others before shifting, seemingly at random, to a different story entirely. _ Mortals, Gods, and Demons _is one of those plot ideas that took wing and actually managed to get finished. So without further ado, enjoy the story!_

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" _Come, Matt the swordsman, come to the ruins of Goldenbrick,_ " a soft voice whispered.

Matt's head jerked up from where it had been leaning on his arm. He wildly looked around the inn common room for whoever had spoken. His blue eyes scanned the meager crowd, but he saw no one looking his way. He hadn't really expected to see anyone actually taking to him, either. The voice hadn't really been heard so much as he'd felt it. He couldn't think of who or what would be trying to contact him telepathically. He doubted any of his friends had gained psychic powers since he'd last seen them two months ago.

Food being set down in front of him distracted Matt's attention from puzzling over the strange voice. He began to eat the roast ham, and put the phenomenon out of thought. By the time he'd finished eating, he'd forgotten about the strange call. It wasn't until evening when he was relaxing in bed at the same inn that he was reminded of the call.

" _Come, Matt the swordsman, come to the ruins of Goldenbrick,_ " the soft voice whispered again.

Matt sat up straight and said aloud, "Who are you?" There was no reply and after a few minutes, Matt flopped back down. "Fine, you don't give me a name, you don't get a meeting," he muttered as he rolled onto his side. As he drifted to sleep, he figured that disembodied and nameless voices were bound to bring nothing but trouble, anyway.

Two days later, Matt was gritting his teeth as he walked down the street of Goldenbrick Resort. Every three hours for the past two days, the voice would call to him. It never said anything new, always the same summons. He'd tried ignoring it, but it persisted until he'd finally caved and taken the slimecat to Goldenbrick. Apparently, the voice didn't know that he was already in Goldenbrick and on his way, because it called again.

" _Come Matt the swordsman, come to the ruins of Goldenbrick_."

"I'm on my damn way, so shut up," Matt snapped loudly. He flushed when a group of men shot him baffled and mildly irritated looks. "Not you, sorry," Matt apologized as he hurried past them. He grumbled to himself that he probably looked insane.

The swordsman walked past the altar where the red jewel of Goldenbrick sat, glinting in the early afternoon sun. He stepped past the ruined arch that marked the entrance to the ruins of Godcat's Temple and stopped. "I'm here, now what do you want?" Matt asked in an irritable tone.

" _Higher, climb higher,_ " the voice replied.

Matt started at actually receiving a reply. He frowned and asked, "How high are we talking here?"

" _The peak_ ," the voice murmured.

"And I know this isn't a trap, how?" Matt grumbled to himself.

Still, Matt made his way to the slimecat and used it to warp himself to the peak of the ruins. He looked around at the ruined columns and buildings of the once-grand temple to Godcat. He hadn't been here since he and the others had fought the goddess' twin avatars. Nothing really seemed to have changed at all, but he felt something in the air. There was a sort of tension to the atmosphere, and it put him on edge.

With his hand loosely resting on the hilt of his trusty Heaven's Gate, Matt walked down the marble walkway to the very peak of the temple. He arrived at the site and saw nothing. No one sat anywhere around. There were no cats yowling to their creator. There weren't even any Mage Birds perched on the stone outcroppings. He cast another glance around the abandoned site and confirmed there was nothing there.

"I'm here, so show yourself," Matt demanded.

" _Finally,_ " the voice sighed.

In a flash of light, a large white creature appeared to stand in the center of the pillars. It looked like a cat but unlike any cat Matt had ever seen, including Godcat. It had legs and stood on all four at once; still its head nearly reached the same height as his own. Its fur was white at first glance, but shimmered with various colors as the creature moved to sit neatly in front of him. It exuded an aura of power and grace and its clear blue eyes gleamed with intelligence and power. The cat's mouth opened and, to Matt's shock, it spoke.

"I never thought getting you here would be so trying," the cat rumbled. "It has been awhile, hasn't it, Matt?"

Matt took a fearful half-step back and drew Heaven's Gate. In the next instant, he lunged at the glowing cat, knowing who it was. Though the form was significantly different, the creature before him was, without a doubt, Godcat. He brought his weapon down on the goddess' neck only to stagger as it slipped through her form.

Godcat seemed amused, "Please put away your sword. I merely wish to talk. Besides, a light weapon won't work on me. I think you'll find that I resist many elements now."

Matt scowled at the goddess in front of him. He switched to Anarchy in a flash of light and swung again. The blade once again slipped through Godcat and struck the ground. Still, he tried swinging a few more times to be sure. Suddenly, he was knocked back with massive white paws on his shoulders. Matt swallowed and stared up at Godcat, thinking this was the end.

Godcat merely sat down on his legs, pinning him to the ground. She cocked her head as she looked down at him, her tail flicked with amusement. "Now that you've settled down, I have a favor to ask," she said.

The swordsman's jaw dropped. He snapped it shut and he said flatly, "A _favor_. You called me all the way up here for two and a half days for a _favor_?"

"Would you rather I'd called you all the way up here to kill you?" Godcat asked in an amused tone, tail still flicking.

"No, no, I prefer you ask a favor," Matt said hastily. He had no doubt that she could easily kill him while he had no back up. He cautiously tried to push up against the weight pinning him down, and was surprised when Godcat moved off of him to allow him to sit up. "But seriously, what the hell can I do that you can't?" Matt asked as he sat up and rolled his shoulders to relieve the ache of having them stepped on.

"A lot of things now," Godcat admitted. "While I've regained my true form, and have set my children up on a new world, I've found I'm bound to this planet. Perhaps because I created it, perhaps because of long exposure to it; I do not know. But whatever the reason, I cannot stray from it for long. A pity, really, since I am far weaker here now that my children live elsewhere."

"Strong enough to avoid being slain," Matt grumbled.

"A fair and true point, at least for now," Godcat agreed. Her eyes took on a serious gleam, "I need you to slay a demon for me, Matt. An arch demon called the Heldren."

Matt tilted his head, and asked, "Why? And why not go do it yourself?"

Godcat's fur bristled and her lips pulled back in an expression of irritation, revealing white fangs. "Were you not listening to me just now? I am too weak now to kill it myself. I cannot even stray far from places built to my power, which is the reason I've called you here rather than going to you. As for why, the Heldren is an arch demon for a reason. It will not be satisfied until it has razed this entire world, and all the creatures on it."

Matt nodded his understanding, and gave a shrug, "I'm always up for killing stuff. Where's this arch demon Heldren, and do I need to find my friends first?"

"You should be enough on your own, and time is short," Godcat replied with a faint hint of relief in her voice at his agreeance. "It is in a cave in the center of the forest south of Whitefall. The Heldren should still be relatively weak, having only just been summoned."

"Aw, it's weak?" Matt pouted. "That's no fun. Will it be more fun to kill if I wait a few days?"

Godcat's eyes narrowed as she warned, "Wait a few days and _it_ will certainly have more fun killing _you_. Within just four days, it will make our fight a year ago look like a battle against a slime, and it will be far less friendly to your species than I. Light is its weakness, as is true for most demons. Good luck." With that, Godcat vanished.

Matt frowned and picked himself up, staring at the spot Godcat had sat. The goddess had seemed genuinely afraid of the Heldren, and he supposed that meant it was a real threat. The swordsman retrieved Anarchy from where it lay on the ground and switched it back out for Heaven's Gate. With a final glance at where Godcat had sat, he turned to head back to the slimecat.

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 _ **A/N:** And there is chapter one! Chapters will probably vary in length here because the whole story is actually in one document about 22,500 words long. ___Dropping all of it at once would be too much in one go, so_ I just pull each section out where it feels like a natural enough of a stopping point. Anyway, leave me a review to tell me what you think, and I'll be back tomorrow with a new chapter!  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:** I'm a little upset by the lack of very many reviews, but I suppose the chapter was short and it was only one day. I guess I'll hold out on the next one for a few days to give people a chance to read and review. But, as promised yesterday, here is Chapter Two! Enjoy!_

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A day and a half later and Matt stood before a massive cave. Ice coated the stalactites hanging from the entrance, and snow had drifted into large piles inside the entrance. The swordsman stared down into the cave for a long moment. He could sense a dark aura from deep within the passage, and he wished he had at least one person as back up. Still, Godcat had said that he alone would be enough so long as he killed the demon quickly. He wasn't so sure that he could locate one of his friends with enough time to bring them back here to kill the Heldren, anyway.

The party had made a decision to split up while there was no threat. The idea came from the fact that each of them was more than strong enough to handle any regular monster on their own. On top of that, fighting alone presented more of a challenge and would keep their skills sharp should a new threat ever arise. They each figured working like this would save them the trouble of working their skills back up from scratch each time they were actually needed.

The new policy, while effective, meant that they only saw each other when someone needed a back up to tackle some particularly nasty foe. The last time had been a call from Natalie who'd found a nest of dragons way too close to a town. The fight had certainly been a whole-team job, and each of them had enjoyed the return to group work. They'd hung around together for a few days before splitting again. Each had plans to gather some items to upgrade their gear, and had made a promise to meet up to go explore a new land at summer's start in a few months.

Matt shook his head, realizing that he was wasting time by getting caught up in the fact that he had a faint feeling that he would be wanting some help in the cave. The others were elsewhere, and that was a fact. He heaved a sigh and took his first step into the icy cave with Heaven's Gate at the ready in his hand. He wore his fur armor for warmth and physical protection with badges to help protect against darkness. In reality, he had no idea what the Heldren would do as far as damage, but he figured that if it was weak to light, then it likely used dark.

Each step echoed off the cave walls. Cracks and holes in the ceiling provided plenty of light to see by. There was complete silence and stillness in the cave, but that fact had Matt on edge. A cave in a snowy region should have signs of some sort of habitation. And yet, there were no scattered bones, no tracks of animals in the dusting of snow on the floor, and no flitting shadows. It was unnatural, and Matt found himself itching to get the fight over with so he could leave.

The swordsman rounded a corner to come out in a massive cave. A flat wall at the far end had a massive sigil painted in blood, surrounded by smaller runes. A hunched figure sat before the runes, bathed in a flickering red light that seemed to flow from the bloody symbols on the wall. The swordsman recognized several symbols on the wall as those used in his own summons of monsters, creatures, and swords.

Matt's eyes narrowed on the figure. It certainly wasn't human, that was for sure, and he figured it was the Heldren. Standing, it would be twice as tall as the tallest man he'd ever met, and had a spiked tail. Its skin was leathery and red, and had strange, bony spikes protruding from the shoulders and scalp. The demon had two arms and two legs, but they were strangely long and spindly in comparison to its torso. On top of that, it had two large wings that looked completely incapable of flight, as there was no membrane connecting the bone.

Matt stiffened and raised his weapon when the Heldren raised its head. The demons eyes were pure black and its mouth was just a puckered hole lined with teeth. Two slit pupils, like those of a snake, sat halfway between the mouth and eyes. Slowly, the Heldren uncurled and stood. It had a hunched stance so that it only achieved about half of its height, and its hands only had three long fingers tipped with serrated claws that scraped the floor. It cocked its head at the human that faced it.

"Are you the one who summoned me?" it asked in a rasping hiss.

Matt jerked back some at its speech, but recovered quickly. He decided that between talking cat-gods and arch-demons, he would need a lot of beer so that when non-human things spoke to him it would at least be expected. He tightened his grasp on Heaven's Gate before replying.

"No, I'm the one who sent to banish you," he said in a level voice.

The Heldren began to convulse and wheeze and it took Matt a long moment to realize it was laughing at him. "A mere human banish _me_ , the Arch Demon Heldren, the Slithering Tongue, and Stalker of Shadows? You jest," it finally hissed.

Matt's lips pulled back in a snarl and he decided he'd let actions speak for him. The demon actually jolted back some when the human it had mocked charged forwards with surprising speed. It raised its bony arms and a smoky, red barrier rose up between it and its foe. Heaven's Gate tore through the defense with ease and he scored a hit across the demon's chest, spilling oily black blood. With an unearthly shriek, the demon staggered back, only to be pinned by a Holy Sword that appeared from above it, courtesy of the sword's enchantment.

Matt raised his sword to decapitate the demon, but a sudden prick to his neck made his muscles seize up. With an immense strength of will, Matt turned his head to the side to see a tall figure with a black robe and a polished obsidian mask in the shape of a skull staring at him. A second later, and the swordsman's vison went black as whatever poison he'd been hit with did its work. Heaven's Gate clattered to the ground beside Matt as he collapsed unconscious.

With the vanishing of the Holy Sword, the Heldren pulled itself up, and turned its black eyes on the newcomer. "I take it that _you_ are the one who summoned me?" it hissed.

The figure nodded and spoke in a smooth voice, "Indeed. I apologize for not arriving sooner." The masked man glanced down at the blond on the floor and mused, "I had no idea that Matt would be here to immediately send you back, however. I did not believe that he possessed that kind of magical awareness. It is also strange that he came alone."

The Heldren craned its neck to look down at Matt, "I am surprised that humanity has gained such strength."

The masked figure shrugged, "Most are not as strong as he; likely none, in fact, though his friends are powerful as well."

"Then he will make an excellent host," the Heldren said with satisfaction. It craned its head to peer at the man who had summoned it, "Unless you desire I inhabit your form. I am bound to your blood for my duration here, after all."

The man chuckled, "No, I rather like the idea that one of the world's protectors will be its destroyer. It seems… Poetic."

The Heldren hissed, "I care not for your human ideas, but I shall take this body as my own."

The demon dissolved into mass of shadows that crept to engulf Matt's body. After just a few moments, Matt's eyes opened, though they had changed. His pupils were now slits, and the irises glowed a chilling blue. His mouth parted in a snarl to reveal his canines had elongated. The possessed swordsman stood off of the ground and turned to face the masked man with a pleased smile twisting Matt's features.

"Yes, this body has a pleasing store of mana. It would take me much time to truly absorb it all," the Heldren said its hissing voice projected through Matt's mouth.

The masked man gave a low laugh, "Perhaps you'd like to test it, then? There is a small village just east of here that should prove easy enough to destroy."

The Heldren smirked, "Lead on, then." It swept up Heaven's gate and sheathed it across its back.

The two swiftly made their way out of the cave and to the east. Before long, they came to the village the masked man spoke of. The demon lunged ahead and tackled a hapless woman. Its fangs tore into her neck, silencing her screams. Others came outside with weapon at the ready only to freeze at the sight of a demon draining a dead woman of her blood. It raised its twisted face to snarl at them and a wave of fire rose to engulf them all.

Piercing screams rose as the villagers all burned to death. The fires spread to engulf the houses and any who remained indoors burned as well. The masked figure smirked at the destruction, and faded back into the shadows of the forest. The Heldren knew what he wanted, and would carry it out with glee. For all he wanted was the destruction of all life, and demons existed for destruction and slaughter.

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 _ **A/N:** Bum, bum, bummm... Please leave me some reviews so that I feel like people are reading my work and the views I'm getting up aren't just 'bots, and I'll see you all in a few days!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:** I guess I'm just not going to get reviews for this story, which is discouraging. Please keep in mind while reading that authors really do get upset when no-one is willing to leave a five minute review when they spend hours writing these stories. Anyway, next up is the rest of the team's entrance._

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Anna was in Whitefall Town, bringing her spare spoils to sell for extra gold. She'd just come from the Crystal Caverns and had gather enough emeralds to finally finish upgrading her Emerald Cyclone. Her face was spread in an accomplished smile that slowly softened as her thoughts drifted. Assuming he hadn't decided to stand her up, Lance should be at the inn waiting for her. He'd promised to help her tackle some robots in the Waste Disposal Plant.

Both needed several spoils that would be far cheaper and more fun to get by ripping them off of mangled robots. Anna had cheekily told Lance that it was a date when he agreed before she'd darted off. Anna grinned at the memory of the gunner's flustered blush. She'd only been half-joking, but she didn't think Lance had grasped that. Now she wondered what he thought of the idea. He'd certainly seemed to have taken an interest in her by the end of their quest to retrieve the jewels.

As she turned into the item shop, Anna hoped that he caught on to her own feelings faster than Matt seemed to be doing with Natalie's. She piled the many spare opals, rubies, and amethysts she'd gathered onto the counter and waited for the store owner to pile the gold he'd pay for the gemstones. In five minutes, the transaction was done, and Anna was nearly thirty thousand gold pieces richer.

The ranger left the store, calling a thank you over her shoulder. She bounded towards the inn, turning her face to catch the afternoon sun. She froze when she saw a pillar of smoke rising into the air from beyond the trees. Judging by the whispers she suddenly noticed, the villagers didn't know what was causing it either. Anna frowned at the obvious sign of a fire and twisted to sprint for the inn. She really hoped Lance hadn't actually decided not to show because if there was a forest fire headed this way, she'd need his help to put it out.

Lance, to her relief, was leaning against the wall with his back to the door just inside the inn wearing his Army Coat. His gunblade hung at his hip while his Mini Bomber rifle was slung across his back. His arms were crossed and his red eyes focused on the flames in the fireplace. He looked up and around when Anna entered and grinned a greeting.

"Hey, Anna, ready to smash some 'bots?" he asked.

Anna grinned back, "Maybe after we stop a fire. Something's burning just south of here. I figured we could go put it out with some magic."

Lance pushed off the wall to stand straight and nodded, "Lead the way."

The pair stepped out of the inn and headed in the direction of the fire. Anna's eyes narrowed as she realized that it didn't look any bigger or closer than before. She fixed the direction in her mind and led the way into the trees with Lance close behind her. Before long, they could hear the crackling of flames and after a moment they broke out of the forest.

Both froze in shock at the sight that greeted their eyes. A small cluster of what had been five cottages were burning. A pile of charred bodies were gathered in the center of them. Anna exchanged a glance with Lance and readied her bow. The gunner unsheathed his gunblade and preemptively loaded six bullets into its chamber. They walked side-by-side into the burning village, casting their eyes about for whatever had attacked.

The flames crackled and roared, and smoke made their view hazy, but, ominously, there were no screams of trapped or injured victims. Anna sucked in a sharp breath and pointed to a single, unburned body. The pair cautiously approached it to see a woman lying in the mud from melted snow. A bloody wound on the back of her neck showed how she'd died, but strangely, there was little blood around her. Lance glanced around again before kneeling down. He rolled the woman over and frowned at her desiccated features.

"Whatever killed her, drained the blood," he told Anna, standing up again. He glanced at the buildings burning around them and added, "And set the place on fire, too, of course."

Anna nodded with a distressed light in her eyes. "It can't have happened that long ago, or the buildings would already be gone," she mused aloud. "Do you sense anyone nearby, or maybe a residual mana?"

Lance shrugged, "I can try. That's more of Natalie's shtick, though." He shut his eyes and reached out to try and find a trace of whatever had attacked. After just a few moments, his eyes snapped open with a light of disbelief in them. "No way," he murmured.

"What?" Anna asked.

Lance hesitated before blowing out a long breath. "I sense Matt, and only Matt," he finally said, his voice still betraying his disbelief.

Anna gaped at him, then around at the devastation and bodies. "Matt would never do this, though, besides, the last time I checked, he wasn't a vampire," she protested.

"I'm just telling you what I sensed. I highly doubt that Matt did this, but his is the only mana signature I can pick up," Lance said in a flat tone. He shook his head and raised both hands to blast the nearest house with water, slowly dousing the flames. "We should call Natalie out here to see if she senses something different. I saw her earlier today, and she told me she would be hunting Undead Monoliths in the graveyard. Go find her, I'll put these fires out," he said.

Anna nodded, "Got it, I'll be right back. I doubt that whatever did this will come back, but be on your guard, just in case."

"Will do," Lance agreed, focusing his attention on the next house.

The ranger sprinted off, headed for the graveyard to get Natalie. In little to no time at all, she was running between tombstones. To her relief, she spotted Natalie coming out of one of the crypts, dusting cobwebs off her arm. The mage looked up and around at her call and smiled.

"Hey, Anna," Natalie greeted when the ranger got closer. She grinned and asked, "Date over already?"

Anna snorted as she caught her breath, "Hasn't even started yet, and isn't actually a date. Lance and I ran into some serious trouble. A whole village got torched and the only mana Lance can pick up is Matt's, who isn't anywhere around."

Natalie frowned with a defensive gleam in her eyes, "Torched? Matt doesn't do mass fire attacks, and he wouldn't burn an entire village down, anyway."

Anna nodded, "We don't think he did it, and the burning isn't even the most disturbing thing. There was a body completely drained of blood. We need you to come do a second check for other mana signatures."

"Of course, lead the way," Natalie said. She ran behind Anna, wondering what the heck Matt had gotten caught up in this time.

The two women came out in the clearing to see Lance had put out all of the fires and was scanning the ground for any tracks. He glanced up and waved when they called. Natalie gazed around at the devastation with wide eyes. She spotted a large group of bodies burnt completely beyond recognition. Lance's face was grim as they stepped up beside him.

"No survivors, at least not that are still here," the gunner told them. He waved at two houses at the far end, "There were still people in those two when they caught fire, but they both died. Some of the belongings on the bottom floors were only half burned. I don't think this attack happened any longer than just an hour ago."

Natalie's face set, "Well we'll just have to find the sick nut and burn them, see how they like it."

The mage cast her mana out to find a trail of some significant mana source. Instantly, she picked up on Anna and Lance beside here, a moment after that, and she sensed Matt's, as they had mentioned. Her brow furrowed as she thought something seemed off about the swordsman's mana, but she put the thought aside for the moment as she sought out the culprit. Finally, she detected an unusual person's mana.

"A person with high mana stood over there," Natalie announced, waving at the trees at the north end of the village. She frowned and added, "Plus Matt's mana… It's definitely him, but it feels off—darker than it should, and more."

"More?" Anna asked with a frown.

Natalie nodded, "Yeah, like he suddenly got a powerful boost of dark mana."

Lance scowled, "So what, he was behind this? Matt might be strong and stupid, but he knows better than to throw magic around like it's a toy. Besides, fire was clearly used here, not dark."

"I know that," Natalie snapped. "I trust Matt, and I refuse to believe that he did this. And dark mana doesn't mean evil, it just is. I'm merely stating what I sensed. He was here when it happened, so he probably saw who did."

Lance quit glaring at Natalie and apologized in a mumble.

Anna glanced between them, "Let's track Matt down. He can tell us what happened, and we can figure out what's up with his mana. That or we can try to track the mystery watcher."

"Let's go after Matt, he likely won't be hard to find," Lance decided.

The three glanced around at the ruined village one last time before heading out after Matt.

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 _ **A/N:** Please leave a review as it really is motivating for me. Be back with the next chapter soon._


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** Thank you to the people who reviewed last chapter! Because of you, I am uploading the next chapter sooner! Enjoy!_

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The Heldren raced through trees far away from the village it had sacked. It relished in the speed and power of the body it had inhabited. And yet, something began to feel off. The Heldren slowed as it felt its host's gut begin to churn uneasily. Abruptly, it bent over and vomited a large amount of blood and bile onto the grass. The demon surveyed the mess with a frown.

"Humans cannot digest blood? How pathetic," it grumbled to itself. It flinched as a splitting pain arced through its head. It felt the host's conscience begin to force his way to alertness. As it was still weak from the summoning, the Heldren relinquished control for the moment.

Matt gasped as he suddenly came to. His head whipped around as he gaped at his surroundings. Instead of the cave he'd passed out in, he was now in Ashwood forest. He stared around again, wondering how he'd gotten there before making a face at a sour taste in his mouth. He spat a few times and froze at the sight of a puddle of red vomit in front of him.

The swordsman wiped a hand across his mouth as he stared at the puddle. As far as he knew, he hadn't eaten anything red recently. For that matter, he couldn't remember eating at all that day. He turned away and began walking for the stream he knew was nearby to rinse his mouth. At the water's edge, he knelt down and cupped his hands in the water, and then frowned at his reflection.

Abruptly, he dropped the water and unsheathed his sword. Using the gleaming blade as a mirror, he gaped at his reflection. There was dried blood smeared across his face, especially around his mouth. Matt's eyes widened as his mind flew back to the puddle of vomit, and he threw his sword down. Heart racing, he scrubbed his face clean of blood and rinsed his mouth as he tried to remember what he'd been doing.

"I did _not_ eat someone, I didn't," Matt breathed to himself. He shut his eyes and thought back to the events of the day.

He remembered waking up that morning in Goldenbrick and immediately going to Whitefall to kill the Heldren. He'd gone into the cave at noon and had found the demon by a sigil. He'd been beating the demon down, and had almost killed it when…

"I was poisoned and passed out," Matt realized, a hand drifting to his neck in remembrance. "But how did I end up here?"

Matt stood up, absently grabbing his sword to sheath it. A glance at the sun told him it was nearing sundown. Somehow, he'd moved from past Whitefall to the other side of Greenwood, and had lost several hours. He could not remember what he'd been doing during those several lost hours. Matt hesitantly turned to head for the slimecat just before Mighty Oak's altar. As he walked, he struggled to remember. Suddenly, a familiar hissing voice echoed in his mind, and he froze.

 _"You are strong, but surprisingly slowwitted,_ " the Heldren hissed.

Matt's eyes widened and he stared around himself. He drew Heaven's Gate and wondered where the demon was. He heard another hissing laugh.

" _I'm in_ you _, human,_ " the Heldren hissed. " _You make a fine host for until I gain my strength; strong, gifted, and with high mana. The only downside is your inability to drink blood._ "

"You're lying," Matt breathed with a racing heart. "You're skulking in the shadows and mocking me."

" _I suppose I am skulking in the shadows of your mind,_ " the Heldren mocked. " _How do you feel after slaughtering an entire village?_ "

Matt's eyes widened further. He shook his head in denial, "I did no such thing!"

The Heldren merely laughed and left him with a series of images. Matt saw his own hands grasping a woman in a snowy village he didn't recognize. He saw himself bending down, and then, horrifyingly, he had a sensation of tasting blood; seconds later, and the images ignited with fire and screaming. Matt staggered to a tree and began dry heaving as he realized the truth. He'd been possessed and used to slaughter a small town of innocents, even going so far as to drain one of blood. All the while, the Heldren laughed at him.

Matt worked his body back under control and twisted to run for the slimecat. He needed help, and the only one who likely could was Godcat. Instantly, the demon in his head quit laughing. Matt felt a shiver of surprise that he recognized was not his own. A second later, and he felt a slither of fear and he smiled grimly.

" _So that's how you knew about my summoning: Godcat_ ," the demon realized.

Matt didn't deign to reply. Instead, he reached for the slimecat and had it send him to Godcat's temple. As soon as his feet touched the sandy ground, pain erupted in his skull. The swordsman staggered back and gripped his head as his vision began to haze. Suddenly, he was standing in ruins of Lankyroot Jungle with three shattered clays in front of him. Matt panicked and immediately began feeling for blood on his face, wondering if he'd eaten someone else.

" _No, but I will force you to if you attempt to return to Godcat_ ," the Heldren threatened. Its voice became amused as it added, " _Welcome to day seven of your possession, by the way. You are surprisingly persistent in reclaiming your body. That won't last much longer, though._ "

Matt began breathing rapidly. He was trapped. He couldn't go to the only one who could likely help him without risking murdering someone else, he could feasibly black out at any time, and he had no way out of his situation. He swallowed fearfully as he sank to his knees. He buried his face in his hands and wondered if he should search his friends out.

It was possible that Natalie could help him, though he'd never heard of or seen her expelling demons from bodies before. Then he realized that the demon could possess him to murder them, too. His friends were strong, but he was stronger; especially in one on one combat, probably even in a three on one. He couldn't risk them like that. He raised his head and looked around the ruins, desperately seeking some kind of miracle.

Then, amazingly, he saw a flicker of a mountain range. The peaks were distinctive, and he recognized them as ones near the kitten kingdom ruins. Whatever had sent the image—whether Godcat, the Heldren, or some other power—he would go to those mountains and seek a way to separate the demon from his body. The only other option was staying here, and there was no promise that he'd stay there.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Sorry it was so short. :P And I know that, technically, humans can drink blood, but I figured explaining that humans actually throw up if pushed too hard physically would be something that a demon wouldn't know. Anyway, leave me some reviews and I'll be back soon!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:**_ _Thank you to every reviewer on the last chapter!_

 _To the recent guest reviewer: thanks for pointing out that typo. I often accidentally spell 'mana' as 'man' which can end up kind of awkward, sometimes. ('she was filled with man' was one actual case of that. Oops.) I've fixed the error. I'm glad you're enjoying my stories! I'll do my best to get them out as quick as I can while still maintaining quality!_

 _Now, then, on to the next chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

Lance snarled as he and Natalie lost Matt's trail again, this time in Lankyroot Jungle. Anna hung back slightly with a tense look. They'd been tracking Matt for a week and a half, but every time they found his trail, he vanished again. None of them had said it aloud, but they each were beginning to wonder if their friend was avoiding them on purpose. If that were the case, then it was possible that he had indeed been the one behind the attack on the village.

"He's there and then he's not," Lance muttered. "No one's seen him, he hasn't left any word, and his mana is still off."

Natalie nodded with a worried frown. She quietly asked, "So do we finally assume he's actually guilty for that massacre?"

Anna blew out a long sigh and nodded, "I think we'd better work on the assumption, at least. If he was the one, then he'll be ready to fight us when we do finally catch him. If he's not, then that's great, but we should be prepared."

Lance scowled, "How do you prepare for someone like Matt? He'll quite literally take a missile to the face and get right back up to keep slashing, he has the strength of ten men in one arm, and his magic is nothing to sniff at either."

"I meant more of preparing ourselves mentally," Anna murmured. "If he does attack us, we'll subdue him."

"Or a least try," Natalie grunted. She heaved a sigh and began leading the way back to the slimecat, "At least he hasn't attacked anywhere else. I think we need to hire a seer to find him. We need to know where he's going to be next, not where he's at-turned-was-at."

The other two nodded. They followed behind Natalie in silence. Each prepared themselves for the possibility of a serious fight with Matt. The slimecat warped them to Goldenbrick where the mage strode down the street to a dark blue tent. She pushed the draped entrance aside and ducked inside followed closely by Anna and Lance.

Incense filled the room with the heady scent of herbs. A gnarled old woman sat cross-legged on a worn cushion. She peered up at the three with piercing amber eyes and nodded to herself. Before any of her customers could speak, the woman began to murmur their answer.

"You seek a missing friend who treads a dangerous path, a shadow in his mind," she began. She raised one wizened hand and a twirl of smoke formed, etching the outline of a mountain range in the air. She continued in a low murmur, "He follows whispers to flee whispers. Head to the ruined empire, he will be there."

Lance stared at the old woman, "What do you mean by ' _a shadow in his mind_ '?"

The woman met his gaze and shook her head, "I cannot say. Even reading into the fabric is dangerous, and I do not wish to unravel the seams. Find him and ask him; he can tell you."

Anna pressed a hand to Lance's shoulder as he made to lunge forwards. She pulled him back and out of the tent while Natalie gratefully handed the seer more gold than was normally given. The mage bowed and stepped outside to rejoin the others. Lance was still fuming, but turned to follow the two women down the street. Finally, he blew out an aggravated sigh.

"Useless mystics, always talking in riddles with the same damn mumbo-jumbo about messing up the 'magical energies' if they reveal too much," Lance muttered.

Natalie cast him a half-grin, "It is frustrating, but at least we know where to go for Matt: on to the kitten kingdom ruins. We can scan for Matt there, and there's really only one way out that he'll be able to get to."

Anna cocked her head, "I've never been to the kitten kingdom ruins before. What's it like?"

Lance snorted, "Hot, dry, and full of stupid door puzzles. Of course, those doors will keep Matt there as long as he doesn't slip past us into the tundra."

Natalie nodded, "Let's hurry. The sooner we find Matt, the sooner we can fix this whole mess. We can get that batty old sorcerer to warp us there."

The three nodded and hurried to the mages' circle. There, they quickly paid a massive amount of gold to a wizard. The old man merely twitched his hand and the three found themselves standing on a rocky plateau. A hot wind blew around the three as they gazed around in the dying light for some sign of Matt. Finally, Lance grunted and pulled out Super Snipe. He dropped to his stomach and propped his riffle against a rock for stability and peered through the scope.

"I'll find him with this," he promised the others.

Lance scanned the landscape in front of him through the scope of Super Snipe. He was highly aware of Natalie and Anna anxiously hovering behind him. Finally, the gunner spied a flash yellow and made a humming sound. He zoomed in on the spot and saw Matt trudging along a path about two miles out.

"Found him," Lance said. "Two miles south, southeast, just in front of the mountains. He's wearing his Fur Armor for some reason—weird decision for a desert."

Natalie heaved a sigh of relief, "How's he look?"

The gunner was silent for a long moment before replying, "He keeps grabbing his head. I don't see any wounds, but something must be wrong."

Anna frowned, "Maybe he took a hit from a blunt weapon?"

"Hang on, he's staggering sideways, gripping his head," Lance suddenly said in a tense voice. He watched for a minute longer before taking his head away from the scope of his rifle. He stood up and planted his rifle against the ground with a shake of his head as he murmured, "I don't think he's been hit. It looked more like he's fighting himself. Something's wrong with him."

Natalie stared across the landscape, wishing she were near enough to help Matt. She exchanged uneasy looks with the other two before they made their way down the mountain. Their friend was close, and they needed to catch him. And perhaps even stop him by force.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** And there we go! I meant to have this out a couple of days ago, but I've started working, which sucks and is a time drain. Still, it gives me plenty of opportunity to think up plot ideas and I get paid (eventually), so that's nice. Anyway, please leave a review and I'll be back soon!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**WARNINGS: Blood, attempted suicide**_

 _ **A/N:** Yeah, this chapter is dark and probably teases the 'M' rating for the content... Enjoy?_

* * *

Matt froze where he was slumped against a crumbled wall when he heard Lance call his name. He whipped around with wide eyes and backed up a pace as he saw his three friends running towards him. In the next second, the swordsman winced and shook his head as the awful whispering started up again. His vision seemed to flicker, but he fought for control with gritted teeth. His friends would not be the next victims of the insane demon that kept controlling him.

Just before Lance, Natalie, and Anna reached Matt, the swordsman whipped around, and began sprinting away. Lance scowled and ran faster, breaking away from the two women. He tackled Matt a second before he could turn a corner and held firm as the blond began thrashing. Anna and Natalie caught up to them at the same moment that Matt went limp.

"About damn time," Lance muttered. He hauled his friend up, keeping a firm grip on his jacket. "Okay, start talking. What the hell were you doing at that town that got destroyed, and why are you running and hiding from us?" he snapped.

Matt shuddered in his grasp, but didn't reply.

Natalie tried next, "Please, Matt. We're worried about you. This isn't like you."

Matt's eyes were hidden from view by his bangs, but they saw his mouth crack open. "Get away," he rasped.

Anna scowled, "Why, so you can run again? We just spent the last two weeks tracking you down."

"Please," Matt croaked as he felt the insanity rise again. "I can't-" his voice cut off as his body seized, and he began to laugh a strange hissing laugh.

Lance stared at the swordsman in his grasp with bewilderment as he began to cackle. A blast of energy from the blond sent all three of them flying back. Matt stood up, still laughing maniacally. His hand shot to the sword across his back and he drew the blade with an ominous, metallic hiss. His friends' eyes widened in shock as the swordsman's head came up. His pupils were slits, and the irises glowed. His mouth was twisted in a sneer, and his canines had become fangs.

"What in all the hells…" Lance breathed.

Natalie shivered as she asked, "Matt?"

Matt didn't reply as his face twisted into a bloodthirsty smirk. He lunged forwards with Heaven's Gate raised for a slash. An arrow shot forwards, slamming into his shoulder, but Matt didn't even stagger. He brought his weapon down on Anna, missing the ranger by a hair. One hand shot off the hilt to grasp Lance's wrist as the gunner came forwards to slash at him. Lance was sent flying into Natalie, who barely caught him and lowered him to the ground.

Anna had moved back a few paces and fired another arrow at her friend, this time aiming for his legs. The swordsman slashed the arrow out of the air and lunged forwards. Anna shrieked as his weapon caught her across the stomach. Blood spurted out, and she collapsed with a pained moan.

Lance sprang to his feet and loaded two bullets for a Double Shot. But before he could shoot, Matt was right in front of him and slamming a fist into his gut. The gunner's eyes widened in shock and pain as he was lifted off his feet and sent flying back to crash to the ground. He rolled aside, breath wheezing in his chest, to dodge a stab into the ground where his head had been.

Natalie watched the fight with horror. Never had she thought Matt would attack any of them with the clear intent to maim or kill. The swordsman had always been too kind for that, and yet something had obviously changed, affected him. But the despaired wonderings could wait until the battle was over. The mage turned her attention to where Anna was bleeding out on the ground, and healed the ranger.

On instinct, the mage ducked forwards and Heaven's Gate slashed past where her back had been. She turned wide and terrified eyes on Matt to see Lance on the ground, bleeding profusely. The swordsman's blade was stained with blood, and his face and expression remained demonic. Tears welled in Natalie's eyes as he approached her.

"Matt, please," Natalie whimpered.

To Natalie's shock and relief, the swordsman froze. His expression flickered as he stared at her. For a moment, he remained still, and then his eyes returned to normal, his fangs vanished, and his face fell into an expression of horror. He shuddered as his eyes fell to his bloody weapon, and he let it drop. Suddenly, he winced and both of his hands rose to grip his head and he fell to his knees.

"Stop," Matt yelled. "No, I won't; you can't make me!"

Natalie stared at him in shock, but turned her eyes to Lance who was attempting to push himself up despite the massive wound spilling blood on his side. A flash of light from Natalie healed the gunner and he sat up to stare at Matt. The swordsman suddenly screamed and slammed his head against the ground.

"Leave me _alone_ ," Matt wailed, repeatedly bashing his head. His body convulsed, and he fell to his side, still gripping his head which now had a small trickle of blood running down it between his eyes. He suddenly let out an inhuman hiss, but soon shuddered and thrashed. "No, you won't." Matt panted, speaking to some unknown force.

Natalie inched closer to him, but froze when he jerked up. His eyes shifted rapidly between the demonic ones and his normal eyes. He lunged for his weapon, and Lance let out a shout. Both the gunner and the mage saw what would happen as Matt twisted the weapon to point at himself. Everything seemed to slow down for them as they cried out. The swordsman ignored their cries, raising the sword and bringing it down to impale himself through the stomach.

The sickening sound of metal slicing through flesh split the air. Natalie's eyes widened and tears filled them as she let out a scream. Anna jerked up and gaped at the sight of Matt with his weapon through his torso, just missing his spine. Blood gushed out and Matt coughed out a mouthful of blood before collapsing back, forcing the blade out of his body to clatter beside him. Blood rapidly began to pool around his fallen form, staining his hair and clothes.

" _Matt!_ " Natalie shrieked with tears coursing down her face. She scrambled forwards and began casting the strongest healing spell she could muster. Matt's breathing was choppy and blood coursed from his mouth. "No, no, no, Matt, don't do this to me," Natalie moaned. "Lance, staunch the bleeding, Anna help me heal him!"

Lance shot forwards, ripping off his jacket to bind the horrible wound. Anna already had her flute at her lips and was playing the most powerful healing magic she could. Matt's breathing became slower and slower. His blue eyes cracked open and tears ran down his face. Despite the immense agony he must have been in, his face was calm.

"Bye… guys," he breathed. He coughed once, splattering blood and murmured, "It's… been… fun…"

Lance growled at him, "You aren't allowed to die unless I kill you, got it?"

With immense effort, Matt shook his head, eyes falling shut. "Better… this… way," he choked out. "I'm sorry… for… this… you… guys… " His eyes opened wide and he stared at something in the sky with an expression of distant wonder. "Pretty," he breathed.

Natalie let out a sob, "No, Matt, stay with us!"

Matt's eyes flickered and settled on Natalie, "Love you, Natz… Stay… safe…"

"If you really love me, you'll stay right here to keep me safe," Natalie snapped at him with tears in her eyes. For years she'd wanted Matt to tell her that, but not from his deathbed. "Lance, get one of your Medipacks down here; the strongest stuff you have. He's holding for the moment, but it's by a thread."

"On it," Lance said. He tugged out his radio and spat a rapid string of commands into the device. A pack drifted down, and Lance shot the parachute from the sky to get it to fall faster. He ripped the top open and pulled out a syringe and a bottle of medicine. In the next five seconds, he was injecting the fluid into Matt's chest. A second dose went in right after the first one.

Matt's eyes dimmed as he listened to his friends work frantically to save him. They called to him, voices growing more and more distant and indistinct. He wished they would stop and let him go. He was so tired, and wanted to sleep at long last. Just close his eyes, drift away, and sleep. There would be no more threat to them, he could sleep, and the monster working through him would be gone at last. The swordsman's face twitched in the faintest of smiles and his eyes shut.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Next chapter is not so dark, promise. It's also pretty long, but I think you all will enjoy it. Leave me a review, and I'll be back in a few days!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** Ta-dah! Here' is the next chapter! Average length, compared to some of my other stories, but pretty long for _Mortals, Gods, and Demons _. Thank you to each and every reviewer so far! It really is nice to see people's responses._ :3

 _ **Random Person:** Yeah Heaven's gate is a little long and wide for what I described last chapter, but I tend to make his swords thinner in my head, if only because... Actually, I don't know why I imagine them smaller. Oh, well. :P As for the internal organs thing: it would be basically impossible to avoid puncturing/rupturing any organs with a stab through the stomach. At the very least, he'd hit his small intestine. Sadly(dependin on your point of view), I haven't quite managed to actually kill one of the main characters in anything I write as of yet. I try, but then I can't bring myself to leave them dead. One of theses days, I'll bump one off, and then I'll cry a lot. XD_

 ** _Guest:_** _Yeah, I guess he did kind of commit something similar to seppuku, only instead of ritual disembowelment, it was just a single stab. The idea behind it is similar, though: to save himself pain at his enemy's (in this case, the Heldren), and to redeem his honor/make up for bad actions. Although, technically, Matt's 'Bushido' is a bit of a sham given his canonical moral ambiguity, but I guess my depiction of him would fall into the honorable category more often than not. I'll assume by my other story, you meant Retribution, my little corner for dark, angsty things (I love dark, angsty things). Could I persuade you to type in a unique name when you leave an anonymous review? I like to address reviewers individually in the A/N, and it would be helpful if I have a pen name of some sort to use. Just the number one, or a single letter would be fine._

 _Now then, on to the chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

" _What have you_ done _?_ " a familiar voice hissed.

Matt's eyes opened to see Godcat hovering before him. He floated in the air with her at a short distance above his body. Everything below seemed to move slowly, and there was no noise. Idly, he realized that either Godcat was slowing time, or spirits simply saw things faster than their mortal bodies. He could see Natalie casting her healing magic, Anna playing her flute, and Lance throwing down his Medipack. Godcat swooped down to block his vision.

" _How dare you kill yourself?_ " she hissed.

Matt shook his head, "I'm one man, Godcat; one man who obviously was not enough."

Godcat slashed at him with one paw, claws just barely missing his face, " _Do you have_ any _idea what your friends will do if you die here?_ "

Matt shrugged, "No, and I doubt it really matters, anymore. I could easily have killed all of them just now, and it'll be better that I'm gone. I failed them, I failed you, I failed myself, and I failed that whole village. I can't hurt or be a threat to anyone dead."

" _You really believe that, don't you?_ " Godcat murmured. She gestured with one paw to the three humans below, who were still moving slowly. " _Even if you think it doesn't matter, I want you to tell me what you think they will do when you die._ "

Matt stared down at his three friends for a long moment. By their motions, they'd realized that they had lost him. Lance had desperately begun chest compressions and Anna had stopped her healing to wail. Natalie kept up her healing magic, shifting to a resurrection spell that would only work if he wanted to come back, which he didn't. Their desperation and mounting despair hurt even though Matt had already made his choice. Finally, he sighed.

"I imagine they'll cry even more," Matt murmured.

Godcat tilted her head, " _True, but that won't be all. You are something irreplaceable to them, and your team is more than just that. You have built life-long bonds of friendship, love, and family. You were the center point, the anchor to that bond. I can see this future clearly. With you gone, the rest will drift to their destruction. Lance will isolate himself from the rest of the world and attempt another takeover. Anna will try to stop him, but be unsuccessful on her own. He will kill her, though not on purpose._ "

Matt shook his head, "Lance would never do that. Besides, Natalie would help stop him again."

" _Natalie won't be there,_ " Godcat hissed sharply. " _She will kill herself as soon as she gives up on her attempts to revive you. You are her life, and if you are gone, then she will follow you._ " She shook her head, " _I pity the fate you've sentenced the world to with your choices and actions. Had you been stronger willed, you would have worked to help aid them in their attempts to save you. Instead, you fled. You fled what you had done and suffered, you fled from your friends, and then you fled from life. With one foolish and impulsive action, you rid the world of its best defenders._ "

Matt scowled and spat, "How would my being there, with a demon controlling my actions, be helpful? My friends are strong, and maybe if they decided to use lethal force they could stop me, but we both know they would never be able to do that. Anything less than an effort to kill me will end with them getting killed. And even if they did manage to put their feelings aside and managed to kill me, the results would be the same. In the meantime, there would be an insane demon running around in my body, doing as it pleased."

" _So you thought that by killing yourself, you rid the world of the Heldren?_ " Godcat asked in a scathing tone. She shook her head and went on, still in a hiss, " _The demon is still there, and will not die with your spirit. All you have done is supplied an empty vessel—the most powerful vessel on the planet. He has fled to nearby and will rise by nightfall when your friends have left. It knows the future as well as I, and it knows it has successfully crippled the world's defenders. Lance will be the last to fall while attempting to stop it._ "

Matt's eyes widened with horror at the goddess' words. He stared down at Natalie who was collapsing to her knees, screaming. Lance had pulled back and was punching the ground with tears coursing down his face. Anna had collapsed as well, crying and shaking, hugging herself as she stared at the bloody mess that was Matt's body before she curled into herself. He knew that he couldn't risk that what Godcat said was merely an effort to goad him to return to life. Even if it was, and none of what she claimed would come to pass, his friends would be shattered. And he had only moments before the goddess' supposed future began.

Matt jerked his gaze up to Godcat, "Send me back. You wouldn't be here if you knew it was pointless."

Godcat purred, " _I was wondering when you'd realize that. Very well, Matt, I grant you a second life. May you handle the situation better than you did before. I will see you again._ "

Matt felt a rush of energy fill him. Suddenly, the scenery blurred before him and he was shooting back down to his body. His senses came rushing back in sharp clarity. He could hear his friends crying and screaming. Matt's eyes snapped open to reveal a brilliant white light filling them as his mouth gaped in a silent gasp. Without pausing to note that his body had been healed, and blood restored to it, the swordsman lunged for where Natalie was reaching for her staff. There was a chilling energy coming from her body. Godcat had been right.

"Stop, Natalie," Matt yelled, tackling her.

Natalie's eyes snapped open as dead silence fell. She stared at the blond hair in her vision. She felt strong arms gripping her. Just past the hair were Lance and Anna, staring with pale, tear-stained faces and expression of complete shock. The mage shuddered as the impossible sank into her mind. Matt was back.

"Please, Natalie, no," Matt whimpered. "I- I'm sorry for leaving you here, I'm sorry for attacking you, I'm sorry for everything. Don't suicide now. I'm back, I'm not going anywhere, I'll explain everything, I'll do anything, just don't do this."

Natalie swallowed and breathed, "Matt…?"

The swordsman nodded against her shoulder, "Yeah, it's me. I got some divine intervention who says I can't go yet."

"You… You're here?" Natalie whispered, arms slowly coming up to wrap around Matt, uncaring of the drying blood on him. She relished in the warmth of his body that confirmed he was alive.

Matt merely tightened his grip with another nod. He pulled back and angled his head to press his lips to Natalie's. He felt her stiffen for a moment, but continued the kiss until he felt her respond. Finally, they both pulled back and merely looked at each other. Matt's eyes were steady and filled with regret. Natalie's were wide and filled with tears. From behind them, they heard a shuffle as Lance and Anna stood up, still staring at Matt.

Matt looked over his shoulder with shadowed eyes, "Hey."

Lance stiffened and his face fell into a snarl of fury. "How could you do that to us?" he spat. "Is this how you plan to get your new shits and giggles? Ripping our mentality apart just to come back and say _hey_?"

Anna looked distraught as she said, "Why, Matt? I thought we were a team? Why would you run and hide from us, and then kill yourself after attacking us?"

Matt shuddered and begged, "I'll explain everything, but we need to get away from here. It… it's still around somewhere, and I don't want to be a host again."

Lance looked ready to argue some more, to demand answers, but he clenched his jaw with a furious nod. He stalked to scoop up his weaponry and crossed his arms as he watched Matt through narrow eyes. Anna gathered up her flute and bow, still looking shell-shocked. Natalie picked up her staff, but refused to let go of Matt. She meekly followed him as he picked up his own blade, still lying in a pool of his own blood.

A water spell from the swordsman had the sword clean, and then he began leading them away. His eyes darted around nervously, but he never saw the haze that signaled a possession. He could no longer feel the foreign presence in his mind. He could, however, feel Lance's furious mana sparking behind him. A glance back showed the gunner glaring at him, and Anna was still stiff with either disbelief or anger. Natalie clung to his arm as though he might vanish at any moment. Matt felt a wave of self-loathing fill him as he turned his gaze forwards again.

"I'm a fool," he murmured to himself, too quietly to be heard.

After an hour of walking, Lance put his foot down. "Start talking, Matt," he snapped.

Matt stiffened but nodded. He sat down on the ground and turned his eyes to the party watching him with varying degrees of anger, fear, and confusion. All of them also looked beyond relieved to have him there, however. The swordsman swallowed and began his tale.

"The last time we split, I… heard a voice," he murmured quietly. He dropped his gaze to his lap, "I followed its directions back to the temple ruins by Goldenbrick. Godcat appeared there—just one avatar that she explained was her true form."

His friends' jaws dropped as they stared at him.

Matt didn't look up as he went on, "I thought she was going to kill me, but she merely spoke. She needed me to kill some arch demon she called the Heldren. She directed me to a cave and said it needed to be slain within just a few days. That left no time to find you guys so I set out alone. I got to the cave, no problem, and the battle was going well. Then this… man showed up, though I'm not sure that's what he was. He hit me with a poison dart and the next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of Ashwood with- with blood on my face and a puddle of bloody vomit in front of me. Six hours had passed, and I can't remember any of it on my own."

Anna's breath sucked in, "You were possessed?"

Matt nodded with a swallow, "Yeah, but the Heldren was still there. It wouldn't let me sleep, I randomly blacked out for short periods of time. Each blackout ended with some monster dead in front of me, but no recollection of the battle. And, of course, it was always talking to me in my mind. I tried to go back to the temple for Godcat's help early on, but the one time I got there, I blacked out again and ended up in Lankyroot seven days later."

Lance frowned, eyes lighting with understanding. "So that's why you avoided us: you knew you'd attack us," he breathed.

Matt nodded, "Yes. I heard a faint message that I assume came from Godcat at the ruins in Lankyroot. She sent me an image to come here, so I did."

"And then we found you," Natalie murmured. "Judging by your actions, the demon isn't in you, anymore. Do you think she planned your death?"

"Yes, it's gone, and no, I don't think she planned my death," Mat said with a shake of his head. "I just had a long, lovely, chat with her over you guys' heads. She was furious with me for suiciding."

" _I'm_ furious with you for suiciding," Lance growled. "I have half a mind to break both your arms for that scare."

Anna laid a hand on his arm, and, to Matt's surprise, the gunner subsided. The ranger fixed a wary look on Matt and asked, "I'm guessing Godcat sent you back. Are you actually here to stay, or only for a certain amount of time to get the demon slain? Like a grace period of sorts?"

Natalie froze and her eyes filled with tears, "You can't go again!"

Matt gave her a soft smile, "I think I'm here to stay, don't worry. Godcat saw the future should I have died there, and I don't think she liked it."

Lance snorted, "Oh, yeah? What happens that would be bad enough to upset a goddess?"

Matt had no amusement in his eyes as he said, "Natalie suicides right after she gives up on me. Lance retreats from humanity and starts another world take over. Anna tries to stop him and is accidentally by him killed in the process. Lance tries to fight the Heldren when it resurfaces in my body, and is killed by it."

His friends froze and stared at him. Each felt a cold rush as they saw how easily that all could have happened. Lance shrank back from Anna as though his mere presence could kill her. The ranger huffed and scooted closer to him, wrapping an arm around him. She leveled a glare up at his red eyes.

"I swear, if you start pulling away next, I'll smack you," Anna warned. She nodded as Lance cracked a crooked smile with a faint blush, "Good. Obviously, none of that will happen since Matt came back. That future is closed now, so let any thoughts of it go."

" _A wise policy,_ " Godcat's voice said. With a flash of light, the goddess appeared and landed in front of them. She fixed her blue eyes on Matt and asked, " _Glad you returned?_ "

Matt nodded, "Yes, definitely. Thank you for saving me. I won't be doing that again."

Lance, Anna, and Natalie were gaping at the shimmering form of Godcat. Her white fur glinted with faint, prismatic shimmers of color as she moved. She stepped on all fours with a lithe and powerful grace. Her eyes were a clear blue. She stood tall enough that her head could reach Matt's shoulder.

Godcat sat down and tucked her tail over her paws and fixed a look on the rest of the party. Her eyes seemed to see through them. Power flickered in their depths, but there was also a gentleness there that hadn't been before. She seemed faintly amused by their expressions of shock and a faint, rumbling purr came from her chest.

"Well, their reactions are much more favorable than yours was, Matt," she said aloud. Her mouth opened to let out the words, no longer echoing in the party's mind. "They aren't attacking me for one thing."

Anna's jaw snapped shut and she glanced at Matt with disapproval, "You tried attacking her on your own?"

Godcat's purring increased along with her amusement, "Oh, yes. It would have been very heroic if it hadn't been so obviously stupid. But I suppose that's just how he is."

Matt snorted, but said nothing back. Lance was the one who spoke, face composed, "So why are you here now? Why not form when Matt needed the help?"

"Because I couldn't find him," Godcat replied. "The Heldren is powerful, and much more so for having fed off of Matt's mana for nearly a month. It obscured his presence from me until separating when Matt stabbed himself."

Natalie flinched at the mention of Matt's suicide. Godcat's gaze flicked to her and she lowered her head some. "I sent him here because it stands above the remains of an ancient temple to me. I knew you three were tracking him, and I'd hoped that your combined mana would be enough to sustain my presence. Had I known he would kill himself before I could gather the strength, I would have attempted to speak with you three separately." She let out a short huff of self-deprecating laughter, "Had I known Matt would get possessed, I would have called for all of you from the start, not just him. But even a goddess' sight has limitations, and the future is ever fluid; rarely is it as clear set as it was at Matt's death."

"You seem… different from before, and not just because of your appearance," Anna said hesitantly.

Godcat tilted her head thoughtfully, "I suppose so. I am no longer split, which gives me a greater level of mental stability." She shook her head as she said, "That is not important now, however. I am here to aid you, should you choose to accept it. The Heldren is beyond just your mortal strength, and my own power fades from this planet; I am no longer able to see it as I had before. I imagine that before long I will fade from existence."

Natalie's eyes widened, "But you're a god! How can you simply fade? Besides, you seem stronger than ever right now!"

Godcat inclined her head, "I am, but it is a borrowed strength. There are not enough who know me, anymore. The cats have, for the most part, become mere animals, incapable of advanced thought, and most of the humans think me a bedtime story. I have accepted my time as a greater power has passed. Perhaps my very existence has passed as well. Nothing is truly eternal, after all."

Lance's eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to him. He thought he already knew the answer, but he asked anyway, "What, or whose, strength are you borrowing to appear now, then?"

"Each of yours, of course," Godcat replied with a flick of her tail. "You know me more than perhaps every creature on the planet combined. You fought me, you know my existence and role in humanity's existence was no lie or story. On top of that, you each wield a level of mana far beyond natural levels. As long as you remain in one area together, I can appear for as long as I exist, though only for brief periods; you will tire before long from me draining your mana."

"Then how can you help us?" Matt asked with a frown. He glanced back the way they had come as he went on, "We can't support your presence and fight at the same time."

Godcat nodded, "I am aware of this. There is one way, but it would be permanent. I shed my ties to the heavens and link my mana to the mana of you four. I would retain a lesser form of many of my powers, but be mortal."

"And what happens to us?" Lance asked suspiciously.

"Nothing as extreme as a change in life, and nothing too horrible," Godcat assured. "Likely you each would live for far longer than normal; how long, though, I am not sure, which could be a blessing or a curse. You each would gain a portion of my own power and be able to use lesser varieties of my own skills—much like a summoned creature. The link will also defend each of you from possession by the Heldren. In reality, you already share a mana link with each other that was formed from long exposure and a subconscious desire to protect your team. I would merely be added as another link to that chain, and you four would become demigods of sorts."

Anna frowned skeptically, "So we get a power boost, but you get weaker? Why would you agree to that?"

Godcat was silent for a long time, turning the question and her answer over in her mind. Finally, she blew out a sigh and her eyes fixed on where the first stars were appearing in the sky. "It is sad to admit, but I am lonely, and I envy the bond you share," she whispered. "As a god, a mortal's life passes in the blink of an eye. I have forged and lost bonds over the millennia and I tire of it."

Her gaze dropped to the four silently watching her and she went on, "I do not expect you to be… friends with me, but perhaps after this demon is dealt with, I can find my own rest at last. As a mortal, there will finally be a visible end to my existence, and perhaps I can atone for the wrongs I have committed to this world. My children prosper on their own now, and humans have begun to fascinate me after our battle." She tilted her head and blinked once, her gaze calm, "Of course, the choice is yours. I can vanish from your presence when this battle is done if it truly will upset you that much, but the bond will remain. The Heldren must be slain, and you will need my power to do that with relative safety. If you'd rather, you can face the demon without my aid, however."

Matt exchanged a look with each of his friends. He was willing to believe Godcat spoke true, but this was a big decision. He could understand a need to atone for a wrong doing. Whether or not he had been in control when that village had been slaughtered, the blood had stained his hands. He tried to imagine feeling like that for thousands and thousands of years, and felt a flash of empathy for the weary goddess. He knew, in that moment, that he would agree to join with Godcat.

Natalie's own heart went out to the goddess. She could feel how fragile Godcat's mana was, and knew that the immortal cat's life was ending either way. She offered them a chance of safe victory at the cost of her current existence and earlier relief. Likely, if they refused, Godcat would live for far less time than if she joined to them. She thought of the regret Godcat would feel if she faded, unable to truly have a bond. On top of that, she owed a debt of life to Godcat for returning Matt to them.

Anna, as a villager from Greenwood, had always respected Godcat, and she felt that respect flare now more than ever. The goddess could easily have let the world crumble at Matt's death, and could have clung to her ideology that humans were lesser creatures. Instead, she offered another chance to continue their existence, and would even help fight to defend them. And the goddess had been very open with her own soul and reasoning, and Anna valued honesty.

Lance carefully weighed the pros and cons of joining with Godcat. He, personally, had no issue with the goddess any longer, but nor did he completely trust her. Still, he agreed that the Heldren was strong enough to overpower Matt, and if Matt could be taken over, so could anyone else in their party. Godcat offered a protection against that threat. And then there were the strength benefits to consider.

At one point in his life, Lance would have leapt at the opportunity to have even more power. Now, he considered the repercussions of gaining that much strength. He knew he would never turn it on the world while the others lived. But if one of them did get slain, he imagined that, as he stood now, he would turn on the world for vengeance. Perhaps in the future, with Anna taking the edge off of his temper, he would no longer worry about that, but it was a threat right now. Then, he realized that the future wouldn't even matter if they didn't slay the Heldren now.

The four friends exchanged another look, and each saw they had all come to the same conclusion. Matt turned to where Godcat patiently waited their response. "We'll do it," he said firmly. "Welcome to the team, Godcat."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I loved writing that last line. :3 I also loved writing for Godcat, who is now a part of the team! Hooray! Leave me a review, and I'll be back soon!_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:** And I'm back! For those of you thinking Godcat is going to turn into Phyrnna, the answer is no. It's an interesting idea, but not one I am going to do. Godcat is her own cat, and that's how she'll be staying. I'm sorry if that disappoints some of you. Now for some responses to the amazing guests who left reviews!_

 ** _Random Person:_** _Of course I noticed you! I read every review I ever get, and the guest reviewers are, often times, the best reviewers! The only reason I just started responding is because_ _I've been slow to update the other chapter stories, and I try to avoid long author notes in_ The Epic Tales _. Anyway, I think you're right that I'm subconsciously making the weapons actually usable in my head when I write. I do try to go for some semblance of realism in my stories, so maybe that's what happened. As for the other fanfic (_ Our story isn't over yet _by **Shadowpulse160** ) I didn't realize it before, but I may have been inspired by that scene. I do read his work, and am waiting for the next chapter he promises is on the way. And, as I said above, Godcat will not be gaining a human form, nor is she Phyrnna._

 ** _Anonymous:_** _I'm sorry, but Godcat will not be in any way connected to Phyrnna. It's a neat idea, but not on I'll be doing, nor ever actually considered. She will be staying a four-legged cat with magical powers._

 ** _Little Follower:_** _Thank you for putting a n_ _ame! I hope I'll be able to figure out who's who by writing style before long, but having a name to attach to a guest review is really helpful for me._ _Yeah, I try to put a lot of thought into how game mechanics would work out in a (slightly) more realistic scenario. Healing magic is always a touchy one because it would be unrealistic in the sense of the fandom to simply write it out as Natalie is, primarily, a White Mage. Unfortunately, healing magic also completely annihilates any attempts to build drama, and if applied properly (or improperly, as the case may be in a different story of mine), can be a very overpowered and devastating force. Imagine causing someone's body to multiply cells to recover without ever actually having a wound? That's cancer or bio-matter melting right there. Anyway, I'm glad you think it came out well, that's always good to hear! As for Matt's thing, it was a little awkward, but I was thinking he is a blunt character with little in the way of tact. It is also necessary for later plot development as well. I'll try to make it flow more smoothly with future ideas, however._

 _Now, then, on with the story! Enjoy!_

* * *

Godcat's form seemed to glow brighter at Matt's words, and she purred loudly. In the next moment, wisps of pure mana drifted around the five of them. It slipped into the chain they had already formed and strengthened those bonds. Each human felt an influx of power and energy and they gasped at the enormity of it. They felt lighter, stronger, and more alive, somehow. The night became clearer to their eyes and sounds and smells seemed sharper.

Meanwhile, Godcat's aura of power faded. She remained the same size, and her white fur still glinted with color in the moonlight, but she no longer shimmered with light. Her eyes faded from the glowing blue to a strange but beautiful mixture of color that seemed to shift depending on the angle they were seen at. After a few moments, Godcat bowed her head.

"It is done," she purred.

Matt grinned, "How're you feeling?"

The cat looked surprised at the question. She cocked her head in thought and said, "Different, of course, but it isn't too bad. Things seem muted and moving strangely, and I feel strangely… heavy, but other than that, I feel fine. What about for you four?"

"I feel stronger than before," Matt replied with a thoughtful look.

"And faster," Anna added.

Natalie nodded, and said, "I feel more in-tune with my mana, and the world's mana."

Lance grinned, "I feel pretty set to blow up a demon."

Godcat stood, "Very well, then let us go."

Matt cocked his head, "Where, though? We don't know where the Heldren fled to."

"We return to the summons point. I have little doubt that that will be where it has fled to," Godcat replied evenly as she began padding off to the warp crystal.

Matt hesitated and then asked, "And what about the guy who poisoned me? He'll probably be there, too."

Godcat paused and looked back over her shoulder at him. "There was a man?" she asked slowly.

Matt nodded, "Yeah. I didn't know he was there when I started fighting, but he hit me with a dart right when I was about to kill the Heldren. He wore a black mask shaped like a skull and dark robes."

Natalie frowned, "He was probably the summoner. Maybe he was that guy I sensed near the town?"

"Probably, you said he had fairly strong magic," Lance agreed.

Anna nodded, "And summoning takes a lot of magic."

"We'll have to kill him too, I suppose," Godcat mused. She shook her head, "Any person who would willingly summon an arch demon is too dangerous to leave alive."

"Can you guys show me to the town I destroyed?" Matt asked quietly. His eyes dropped from theirs as he explained, "I want to pay my respects and apologize."

"We can take you there, but it wasn't your fault," Natalie told him with a frown. "You were possessed by a force far beyond your control."

"Yeah, but I still feel at fault," Matt mumbled with a shrug. "Whether I was in control or not, it was my strength that killed them."

Godcat stopped beside the crystal and looked at Matt, "You were merely another victim in the attack. If it will help assuage your pain, then we can stop there after we slay the Heldren. The death of the demon behind their murder will make a fine offering."

Lance shot the cat a look, "So how are we going to get to this cave? The crystals don't connect over to that side of the mountain range."

"I'll work the mana connecting them to connect to the slimecats," Godcat said absently. Her eyes flashed with light and after a moment she nodded, "It should work now. I apologize for any missing, added, and or misplaced limbs." Her voice had a light note of humor.

Anna laughed as she reached for the crystal. Before she touched it she glanced at the others, "Uh, where are we going?"

Matt spoke up, "I need to change and wash. Armor with massive holes in it isn't a good choice for battle."

"Plus the scent of blood will agitate the Heldren," Godcat agreed. She tilted her head and suggested, "Perhaps the Vegetable Forest? The water is clean there and will be warm this late in the spring. And there will be few people to question why he's covered in blood."

Lance nodded with a glance at Matt's bloodied form. He gave a small shiver at the pure red that stained the swordsman's brown armor and much of his blond hair. It was a visible reminder of the swordsman's death and how powerless he and the others had been to stop it. A second later, and he and the rest of the party stood at the end of the Vegetable Forest. Lance watched Matt walk off towards the river and heaved a sigh.

"You okay, Lance?" Anna asked.

"I'm fine, just thinking about how lucky we are that Godcat is on our side," the gunner said as Matt vanished from sight. He glanced at Natalie and mentioned, "You might want to change, too, Natz. You're dress is coated in blood."

The mage started and paled as she took in the darker red across her Red Dress. She swallowed and nodded as she looked back up, "Yeah, good point. Anna, come with me to keep an eye out for him."

The ranger laughed, "I doubt he would peep on you now, but I can come along if it'll make you feel better."

Lance snorted as the two women slipped off. He sat down in silence with Godcat standing nearby. The large cat settled down on her stomach in the grass and turned her head to stare at Lance. She watched the blank look on his face as he affected to ignore her. With a shrug of her wide shoulders, Godcat settled her chin on her paws and listened to the forest with her eyes closed and her ears twitching. After a few minutes, Lance spoke, causing Godcat to crack one eye open to show she was listening.

"Matt says you told him the future that would have come to pass if he had died, and he told us it," Lance started in a quiet tone.

Godcat raised her head and said, "I did. Why bring that up now, though?"

Lance ran a hand through his hair and quietly asked, "Did you do that because he refused to come back?"

"In a sense, yes," Godcat agreed. She tilted her head to one side and tried to explain, "I told him what would pass to restore the resolve he would need to come back. Matt was… convinced that his death would solve the problems caused by the Heldren. He listed several very valid points such as his own strength compared to yours and the others. I believe he made the choice to kill himself to spare his friends the agony of needing to kill him and to eliminate the possibility that he would kill one of you. I doubt he would have actually killed any of you, though. Not while Natalie was there, and, clearly, he couldn't truly hurt her."

With a slight nod, Lance said, "That sounds like something he would decide." He hesitated and asked, "Would I really have killed Anna had he stayed dead?"

Godcat's head came up and she fixed a sharp look on Lance, "Does that really matter now?"

"Possibly in a different way," Lance said softly. "I'm not exactly stable, you know? I don't want to hurt her… or kill her. I know she likes me, and I like her, but I'm wondering if it would be better to stop any progress now if I'm at risk of killing her."

Godcat lowered her head back to her paws as she mumbled, "Hypocrite."

Lance started and shot a glare at the cat, "Hypocrite? How so?"

"You were furious that Matt killed himself, regardless of his reasoning and the circumstances," Godcat said flatly. She cracked an eye open to look at him, "How is your decision to end something because of a mere possibility any better than his choice to end his life for a possibility? Yes, the consequences will be vastly different, but the concept behind the choice is not all that different."

Lance grunted, "And you're such an expert in the field."

"Hardly," Godcat snorted. "I may have created life and gifted it with reason, morality, and emotion, but I do not understand those gifts. I've made my share of mistakes as well. Still, it is your choice to end your relationship before it begins. I imagine that Anna will slap you, though."

"Why would I slap him?" Anna asked as she and Natalie came back, the mage now wearing her Pope's Dress.

Godcat raised her head and turned an amused look on Lance who shot her a look warning her to keep silent. The cat purred in amusement and opened her mouth. Before anything could be said, Lance tackled her and wrapped his arms around her muzzle. Natalie and Anna watched in amused confusion as the gunner struggled to keep the cat silent. The pair rolled across the ground grunting and hissing.

Matt came back in time to see Godcat lay down on Lance's back to hold him down. He wore his usual Captain's outfit and his hair was wet from being washed. He arched a brow at the pair as the cat's tail flicked with triumph at her victory. "What did I miss?" he asked mildly.

"Lance is finding out that a human-sized magical cat is better at wrestling," Natalie said with a laugh.

Lance grunted and muttered, "Get off of me, flea bag."

"I take offense to that," Godcat said with a yawn and settled down more firmly. "I have a very clean coat."

Anna snickered as Lance grumbled under his breath. She turned her eyes to Godcat and asked again, "So why would I smack him?"

Godcat moved off of Lance and said, "That is his business, and not my place to tell. I highly suggest pressing him for details, though."

Lance scowled at her as he stood up, "Later. We have a demon to stop."

Matt's face set with determination, "Yeah, on to Whitefall; it's closest to the cave."

Natalie glanced at the dark sky and suggested, "Shouldn't we try in the morning, or can it not wait that long?"

Godcat stood and extended her forelegs in long stretch, "The Heldren won't gain much strength now that it's separated from Matt, and any further rituals will take much time to complete. A few hours will not matter much at this point. If you'd rather rest first, then we can do that."

"I don't suppose you could make yourself smaller, could you, Godcat?" Anna suddenly asked.

The cat seemed surprised at the question, "Why would I need to be smaller?"

Lance grinned suddenly, "Yeah, we can have her menace the innkeeper into free rooms."

Matt snorted and shook his head. He turned to Godcat and said, "Large animals aren't allowed in the inns."

Godcat shrugged and in the next instant, she shrank to the size of NoLegs, though she kept the same shape and coloring. She craned her head to look up at the startled humans, "Better?"

Natalie's heart melted, "Aww, she's so cute!" The mage knelt down and reached out a hand to pet the cat.

"What are you-" Godcat protested, but then broke off into a purr as Natalie scratched behind her ears. "Ohh, that feels nice. A little to the left, please."

The humans all grinned as Godcat all but melted under Natalie's attentions. The cat purred loudly and Lance snorted.

"Conquered by the ear-scratch," Lance said with a grin.

Godcat cracked one eye open, "I don't think you understand how nice this feels."

Anna snickered, "Maybe we should scratch him behind the ears too?" Her grin widened at Lance's derisive snort.

Matt laughed and shook his head, "The ear scritchies will have to wait until we're at the inn."

Natalie stood up with a wide smile. Matt reached out and touched the crystal, and then they were all standing in the snow. Godcat shivered and sprang up to land on Natalie's shoulder. There, she curled around the mage's neck and settled down, purring at the heat. The human all laughed again at the typical cat actions. They each supposed that the cats had to get their love of body heat from somewhere.

Matt led the way to the inn and requested two rooms. He handed over the required gold and accepted the keys, passing one to Natalie. Then, to his friends' surprise, the swordsman left for the upstairs without further comment. The three standing in front of the desk exchanged glances. Godcat lifted her head up as she sensed Natalie's shoulders tense some. Before anything could be said, however, the desk man politely asked them to proceed to either their rooms or the dining area.

Natalie led the way aside with an apologetic glance at the desk man. She settled down at one of the tables, and picked up a menu from a rack in the center of the table. "Strange that Matt doesn't want to eat first," she murmured when Lance and Anna had sat down.

Anna nodded with another glance at the stairs Matt had vanished up, "I suppose it's possible that he's just tired, but…"

"It's more likely that he's depressed," Lance finished with a sigh.

Godcat stood up and stretched, "Should I go get him?"

Natalie hesitated, "I'm not sure you can. Matt can be pretty stubborn when he wants to be. Leaving him alone for now might be best."

The cat jumped down from Natalie's shoulder, "Well, it can't hurt to at least try." Without waiting for a reply, she scampered off under the tables and bounced up the stairs.

Anna watched her go with a small grin, "I like Godcat. She's so nice and cute now."

"She's obnoxious," Lance grumbled, flagging down a waiter to order a sandwich and an energy drink.

Natalie grinned, "You're just mad because she beat you fair and square in your tussle earlier." She turned her eyes to the waiter and also ordered a sandwich, but with a soft drink.

"Speaking of, what was all that about?" Anna asked after ordering a soup and some juice.

"It was nothing," Lance muttered.

Anna grinned, "That bad?"

The gunner remained silent, studiously ignoring Anna. The ranger shrugged and put the thought out of mind for now. She'd pester Lance periodically and he would eventually spill whatever the matter was. She mused that it couldn't be that serious if he had already shared it with Godcat.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** There you go, mysteriousguy898, there are your ear scritchies for Godcat! And I have added a way to make her travel-sized for team convenience. I hope you all like cute, little Chibi Godcat. Leave me a review and I'll be back soon!_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:** Another fairly short chapter with some more team building. But first, some review responses!  
_  
 _ **Little Follower** : Yes, as you'll see, Godcat is far more effective at getting attention than Matt is at ignoring her. XD_

 _OMG, NoLegs getting plastered at a bar... I might have to write a one shot about that XD Don't worry, he'll be in the story in a couple chapters, though only briefly. I plan to write a sequel where he'll be more prevalent, but for now, he's just kind chilling somewhere (like at the bar!)_

 _You're right that I should probably outline Godcat's powers. That's not done much in this story, and certainly not explicitly, but I'll see what I can do for future stories. For now, you can assume she's sort of like a tactician and a battlemage cat. No limit breaks used for her yet, but I'm tossing a few ideas around in my head. So far I'm thinking of one with the destroyer and creator tanks making a brief appearance, and one where her shadow briefly becomes a second version of her, like in the end of EBF 4, but we'll see. My other stories are in desperate need of attention, so drastically changing this one up/ writing the sequel are pretty far down my FF to-do list._

 _There are no plans to change her name nor NoLegs' name when he shows up; mostly because I have a bit of a pet peeve against changing canonical names. I do give a reason for it later on, however._

 ** _Anonymous:_** _As I mentioned to_ _**Little Follower,** NoLegs will make a very short couple of appearances. He's not a major part of the plot by any stretch of the imagination, but he is fairly important to the sequel swimming around in my head. As for why he was not accompanying Matt: I tend to make NoLegs pop in and out of the stories because it's difficult to write for a character who doesn't speak (I severely regret doing that with so many creatures in _The Long Road Home _quite frequently), and he is, in all honesty, a bit character as of EBF4. Natalie and Godcat both translate for NoLegs, and Natz has been shown to understand cats (and dogs!) in multiple places. One, as you mentioned, she speaks to the cat in the ruins of EBF3. Two, she tells you what the dog in town is saying about the locked house if you speak to it a second time, also in EBF3. Three, she translates for NoLegs in BH2, saying that NoLegs is complaining about the team calling cats without legs mutants is ableist language._

 _I may add Matt to the list of translators as he has also shown an ability to understand NoLegs, such as when he mentions Godcat to NoLegs in BH2, and tells NoLegs that he doesn't believe the cat when NoLegs says he is "keeping in touch" with his creator. I may also just make NoLegs say everything and not worry about translating at all (though that would require Godcat teaching him how to speak as she does). It all depends on what is easiest to write.  
_

 _ **Random Person:** First off, there is no such thing as a late review! I love reviews on any of my stories at any time, so never worry about that! I'm glad you like Godcat's small cat form! there will be more with that this chapter. We'll also be addressing Matt's guilt this chapter and part of next chapter. Lance being honest would be the best way to go, but that won't be resolved for a few chapters yet.  
_

 _Now, then! On to the chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

Godcat was tracking Matt's scent to his room. She followed it, nose to the ground, all the way to a closed door. Once there, she stared up at the barrier, wondering how best to get the swordsman's attention. She tried tapping on the door, but her paws made little sound, and she doubted that the innkeepers would appreciate claw marks from scratching. Next, she tried calling at the door crack for Matt, but he either didn't hear her, or didn't want to reply. Finally, Godcat sat down with a disgruntled face and started meowing; loudly.

After just a few cries, Matt finally opened the door and glared down at her, "Take a hint and go away." He tried to slam the door, but Godcat darted into the room before he could shut her out. Matt snarled under his breath, but did nothing more.

Godcat watched as Matt settled back on the bed. She noted that though his face was clear, there was a faint scent of salt in the air of the room. Finally, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Matt glanced at her, and shook his head before rolling onto his side with his back facing the cat. A second later, and he felt a small weight settle onto the bed. He felt Godcat pad closer before he saw her jump over his body to sit down in front of him. Matt snorted and rolled over again, prompting the cat to jump over his body again to meet his eyes.

"Your friends are worried about you," Godcat said.

Matt grunted and shut his eyes, "And they sent _you_ up here to cheer me up?"

Godcat shook her head, although she knew Matt wouldn't see it, "No, they told me to leave you be for a while. I just thought that maybe you'd like some company."

"They know me better than you do, so why not listen to their advice?" Matt muttered.

Godcat winced at the unfriendly tone, and said in a quiet mew, "It is true that I do not know you, and as recent enemies, perhaps my being here is merely uncomfortable for you. I will go again."

Matt's eyes opened in time to see the cat stand up, and move away, head down and tail dragging on the comforter. He sat up and called, "You're not my enemy, Godcat. Not anymore. Now you're a teammate."

Godcat's tail flicked, "In name only. It takes time to build bonds, and more so when the bonds are built after times of adversity." She stiffened when hands scooped her up and lifted her into the air, "What are you doing? Put me down!"

Matt settled the protesting cat into his lap and ran a hand from the back of her head over her back, marveling at her silky fur. He watched Godcat's eyes narrow from delight and she settled down. They remained that way for some time. Godcat purred softly as Matt continued to pet her. Her eyes opened fully again when he suddenly began speaking.

"Could I have stopped the Heldren?" Matt asked quietly. "From killing the villagers, I mean."

Godcat twisted to look up at the swordsman and saw his face was a mask of sorrow and regret. After a moment, she shook her head, "No, I do not think so, given the circumstances. Perhaps had your mind been clear, then, yes, you could have stopped the Heldren to a point, but you had been drugged. After that, it was already feeding off your mana and growing more powerful very rapidly. Frankly, I'm stunned that you fought it off once facing your friends."

Matt shuddered, "I almost didn't."

"But you did, and that is the important thing to remember," Godcat reminded him. She fixed Matt with a serious look that betrayed years of wisdom, "Sometimes, we can control our actions, and other times we must bow our heads to fate's decree. That is not to say that fate dictates our actions and if a situation happens, we must accept it, as there is almost always a chance to fight. But once the time has passed, you must let the events go. Work towards a beneficial goal, make your own fate, and do not waste your energy on something you cannot change."

Matt listened to Godcat's words, carefully turning them over in his mind. Finally, he murmured, "Yeah, I guess that's true." He cracked a faint grin and said, "Thanks."

Godcat nodded and settled her head back onto her paws as Matt returned to petting her. They sat in silence for a little while until Godcat spoke up again with a worried note to her voice, "My stomach hurts."

The swordsman started and looked down at the cat, "It hurts? How badly?"

"A lot," Godcat mewed with eyes narrowed from discomfort. Suddenly she jumped and said, "And now it's snarling at me!"

Matt burst out in laughter. Tears ran down his face and he slumped back, still laughing. A prod against his stomach had him calming down to look down at the white cat, "You're hungry, is all."

Godcat visibly relaxed and said in abashed tone, "Oh." She scrambled off of Matt's lap when he moved to stand up.

"Come on; let's go get you some food. I should eat something, too," Matt said and felt Godcat spring up to land on his shoulder.

The swordsman opened the door and locked it behind him before heading down the hall and stairs. On the main floor, he spotted the rest of the team sitting at a table, just being served their food. He hesitated for a moment watching them with a small frown on his face. Godcat twisted to see Matt's expression and saw the frown. She carefully stood up and nudged his cheek with her forehead and purred.

Matt glanced at her and smiled before walking over to sit down with the rest of the team. The others looked up with varying expressions of surprise and relief at his arrival. The waiter had just finished laying the food out and asked what Matt wanted.

"A sandwich like he's having would be good, and maybe a beer," Matt replied. He glanced at the cat on his shoulder and added, "If you have some chicken strips for her, we'd appreciate it."

The waiter gave the cat a curious glance, but nodded and walked off.

Anna sipped some of her soup before saying, "Glad to see you down here, Matt. You feeling okay?"

Matt nodded with a half-smile, "As okay as I can be right now. I might have moped for longer, but the no-longer-so-immortal cat has discovered hunger. After a good old pep-talk, that is."

Lance swallowed some of his energy drink wrong as he snorted out a laugh. He coughed to clear his throat before asking, "Wait, she _discovered_ hunger?"

"Well, I didn't need to eat before," Godcat mewed defensively.

"You've been missing out, then," Matt said with a grin. He swiped a roll from Anna's plate and stuffed it in his mouth and mumbled, "Food is awesome."

Anna scowled at the theft of her food, "Hey, we had to wait for ours, now you get to wait for yours. Jerk." She muttered that last part just loud enough for Matt to hear.

The swordsman winced slightly, but recovered quickly. Natalie caught the wince, however and asked, "Are you sure you're okay, Matt?"

Matt sent her an easy smile, "Yup."

"Really sure?" the mage pressed.

Lance glanced at Matt's face as he chewed another mouthful of food, noting the shadow lurking in Matt's eyes. He swallowed the food in his mouth and said in a mild tone, "Give him some space, Natz."

Matt shot his friend a relieved look, but was soon distracted by a plate being set down in front of him. A bowl of chicken scraps was set on the floor by his chair, but Matt bent to scoop it up and set it on the table. The waiter sniffed, but turned and left. Godcat leapt down and sniffed the chicken. Tentatively, she tasted a piece and her eyes widened. Soon, she and Matt were both devouring their food at speeds that would have stunned the others had they not already been used to it.

Natalie chuckled as both Matt and Godcat let out matching sighs, "Looks like we've got another big eater in the group. She might give you a run for your money, Matt."

Godcat flopped on her side and purred, "He can keep his money; I'll keep the food."

"No, I'll keep both of them," Matt replied with a grin. He popped the top on his beer can and guzzled it down. He set the finished drink down and looked towards the inn door. Hesitantly, he asked, "I know you guys said I should wait, but would it be okay if I go see the village now?" There was silence around the table; even Godcat quit purring and sat up to look at the swordsman. Matt shifted uncomfortably and stood up, "Never mind, I can wait. It's fine. I'll just… go take a walk."

Before anyone could say anything, the swordsman was across the room and out the door. Lance stared after the blond with a frown on his face. Anna let out a sigh and stood up as well, flagging down a waiter to clear their plates.

"We should just take him to see the village," Natalie murmured as she also stood up.

Lance nodded and followed suit, "Yeah. He's beating himself up over it pretty hard. Maybe he should start mourning sooner rather than later."

The three humans walked out the door, not noticing that Godcat remained seated on the table for a moment, looking after them. She stood up and jumped down before heading up the stairs again to wait outside the door she'd found Matt behind. The cat curled up into a small ball against the door with a guilty expression on her face. Clearly, she hadn't helped Matt, and she was actually to blame for his current state. Inwardly, she wondered if the others blamed her for what had happened. She _had_ sent Matt out alone, and the results had been bad. She curled a little tighter and tucked her nose under her tail, resolving to stay quiet and mostly out of sight.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Dang it, Godcat! No guilt trips (says the author with full control over the story)! I hope you all liked the comes-with-being-mortal bits. Leave me a review, and I'll be back soon! _


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N:** Okay, one more chapter of... team building (I guess?), plus the wrap up of Matt's angst-ing. Plus a brief appearance of NoLegs.  
_

 ** _Little Follower:_** _Yeah, the limit breaks are going to take a lot more thought. I_ want _to do something with dual Godcat, but it will take some serious thinking. I usually tend to consider limit breaks as a kind of temporary ascension to something more than mortal to achieve a certain goal (revival of the dead, insane power, etc.). But still, I'll likely come up with a different idea for a second limit break._

 _I'm glad you're enjoying Godcat so much! I've really enjoyed writing for her, and it's really nice to hear that someone enjoys reading it! As for a guilty cat expression: Let's be honest, cats don't really feel guilt. XD Still, I imagine that it would involved narrowed eyes, flattened ears, crouching down, and a tucked tail._

 _Now, then, on to the chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

Matt walked through the snow along the edge of Whitefall town. He heard his friends call his name and he glanced back at them. He stopped walking to wait for them to catch up with a blank look on his face. "What's up?" Matt asked quietly, "I'd have been back in a little while, you know."

Lance nodded, "We know, but we thought we should take you to the village now."

The swordsman's eyes widened before he gave them a grateful smile, "Thanks. How far is it?"

Anna shrugged and turned to lead the way, "Only about a fifteen minutes walk south."

"That isn't far from the cave I fought the Heldren in," Matt murmured. He gave a self-deprecating smile and snorted, "So you all were right nearby. Gods, I'm stupid."

Natalie hesitated and then wrapped an arm around his stiff body, "You didn't know, Matt."

Matt heaved a shuddering sigh and nodded, "Yeah."

Silence fell as they walked through the snowy trees. Finally, they came out on the edge of the burned village. Someone had come along and buried the corpses, leaving only a cluster of white tombstones. Matt hesitated for a moment, looking around at the remains of the burned houses. He felt Natalie give him a reassuring squeeze and he shot her a grateful look before walking up to the markers. He carefully knelt down in the snow and looked across the cold stone. Twelve people, and one of them, he'd drained the blood of. No, not him; the Heldren had been responsible for what had happened, and he would make sure the victims got the revenge they deserved.

His friends watched in silence as tears ran down Matt's face. His expression twisted with grief before hardening with resolve. Finally, they listened as he murmured an apology and a promise to avenge them. Then, strangely, he became hesitant as he glanced up at them. Matt swallowed, opened his mouth, but shut it again without saying a word. And yet, Natalie knew exactly what he'd wanted to say.

"We don't think any less of you, Matt," Natalie said in a quiet but firm voice. "Even the strongest person will break or bend to certain forces. We don't blame you for what happened here, and we understand your need to take responsibility for it. We just want you to keep in mind that you are _not_ to blame for this, and we will help you avenge them."

Matt shuddered and stood up. "Right," he breathed, wiping a hand across his face. "And Godcat's helping, so it won't happen again," he added. Suddenly, he paused and glanced around, "Where is she, anyway?"

Lance frowned and looked around as well, "Maybe she stayed back at the inn? She might have thought she was too new to the team to be around for mourning."

"That would line up with what she said earlier," Matt mused with a frown. He shook his head with fond exasperation, "She's a good person, but I wish she would understand she's a team member now. Let's go back. I'm sure she's waiting outside the room again."

And sure enough, when they returned to the inn, a small, furry white body was curled at the corner of their door. Godcat's ears twitched when they approached, and she lifted her head to look up at them. Matt greeted her with a smile and a nod as he unlocked the door. Godcat returned the nod, but said nothing as she scampered into the room and leapt up onto the chair in the corner. The others filed in and sorted out who was sleeping where. Finally, they were all lying in the beds, and Anna looked over at where Godcat was curled in the chair.

"That doesn't look very comfortable. Why don't you join me and Natz?" Anna offered.

Godcat raised her head and shook it before dropping it back down and curling her tail over her nose.

The silence got Natalie sitting up and looking at the cat with concern, "Are you okay, Godcat?"

"Fine, thank you," Godcat replied in a small mew.

Lance snorted from where he was lying on the far side of the room, "You don't sound fine. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just tired," Godcat replied.

Matt sat up as well and said in a disapproving voice, "We can tell you're lying, Godcat. What's bugging you? Did the chicken not stay down or something?"

Godcat was silent for a long time before quietly meowing, "I'm sorry."

The others blinked in surprise at the clear remorse in her voice, and Anna joined Natalie in sitting up as she asked, "For what?"

"For sending Matt out alone," Godcat quietly revealed. "I should have contacted the rest of you to help him, but I didn't."

"For the love of," Lance muttered. He sat up and glared at the white cat in the corner and said in a flat voice, "You made a mistake; stop beating yourself up over it. Matt doesn't blame you, and neither do the rest of us. We're not mad, but I will be unless you stop making the others talk when I want to sleep." With that, he flopped back down and tugged the sheets over his head.

Matt chuckled at Lance and said to Godcat, "He's right, you know. Don't worry about what happened; we'll be putting an end to the Heldren tomorrow, anyway." He lay back down as well and added, "Curl up with Anna and Natz. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable." Soon, the swordsman was asleep.

Godcat stared at the two women still waiting up for her. Her mind had a hard time wrapping around the forgiveness displayed by the rest of the team. Finally, though, she hesitantly stood up and jumped over to the bed. Natalie and Anna lay back down, and drew the sheets up. The mage felt Godcat's slight weight as the cat crept up to curl into a ball on her stomach. She detangled one of her arms from the sheet and ran it over the cat's silky fur. Godcat's eyes narrowed as she started to purr before going limp, falling asleep.

It was early the next morning when Matt awoke, feeling more rested than he had in weeks. He stared at the dark ceiling of the room, listening to the soft sounds of his friends' breathing, and he smiled. It was comforting to know that he had such excellent support, and that they would always be there when he needed them. He sat up and slid out of the bed, taking care not to disturb Lance, who still had his head buried under the blanket from the night before. The only movement the gunner made was to curl up a little more before letting out a sigh.

Matt stretched his arms over his bed and looked across at the other bed where Natalie and Anna were curled, facing opposite directions, sleeping peacefully. Godcat was curled above Natalie's head, but her eyes were open and looking back at Matt. The swordsman nodded a greeting, and watched Godcat stand up and arch her back in a stretch before jumping down from the bed. She padded beside Matt to the door, and they slipped out silently.

"Want to get some breakfast?" Matt asked as they descended the stairs.

Godcat mewed, "Yes please. Will the others be up soon?"

Matt nodded, "Yeah, they'll be up before long. I'm actually usually the last one up."

"Are you feeling okay?" Godcat asked worriedly.

"Yes, actually," Matt confirmed with a smile. "Better than I have for weeks. I just have my early days, some days." He stepped up to the breakfast buffet and snagged a couple of plates of bacon, some eggs, several sausage links, some toast, and a carton of orange juice before leading the way to a table.

Godcat jumped up and waited with her tail impatiently twitching as Matt set out a plate for her with some of the food he'd gathered. Both started digging in, scarfing down the food with matching feelings of contentment. And then, there was a soft flash of light paired by a frantic but familiar meowing; Matt started and slid back to look under the table with a smile.

"Morning No…Legs…" Matt's greeting trailed off into stunned silence as he stared at his longtime friend.

NoLegs the cat was standing under the table with an equally stunned look. The reason for each of their amazement was the fact that the cat had four legs. Matt's jaw dropped as he and NoLeg's stared at each other. Godcat licked her lips and padded to the edge of the table to peer down at what Matt was staring at. Her back stiffened with amazement, even as the reason for the sudden appearance of legs on a formerly legless cat surfaced in her mind.

But before anyone could say anything, the rest of the team came tromping downstairs. Their cheerful greeting to Matt was cut off as the swordsman blurted out, "Guys! Check out NoLegs! He has legs now!"

Natalie blinked in surprise as NoLegs walked out from under the table, a little shaky on his new limbs. He blinked up at the mage and meowed. Anna's and Lance's jaws dropped as they spluttered in amazement. Their eyes soon jerked up to stare at Godcat, who was sitting on the table, a considering gleam in her eyes.

"Want to explain this one?" Lance finally asked.

Godcat tilted her head and meowed, "I assume it's because of the bond. He's a part of it as well, and I guess part of his gift was the restoration of his legs. I imagine that he has an extended lifespan as well."

NoLegs jerked at Godcat's voice, and spun around to stare up at the other cat. The sudden motion was too much for his recent grasp on walking, and he toppled over. The cat swiftly regained his feet as he meowed a stunned question. Godcat nodded to whatever he said, and he purred. Natalie smiled at the exchange, and told the others that NoLegs was welcoming his creator to the team, though he had no idea how it had come to pass.

The others shook off their shock, and moved to retrieve some plates of food. Soon all of them were gathered around the table, eating and talking. NoLegs was given the full explanation of what had happened by Natalie and Godcat. The cat was pleased to have Godcat on their side, and rubbed against Matt's leg reassuringly for what he had suffered through. They talked about changing NoLegs' name, given his new appearance, but he decided that it was his name, and he was used to it. Before long, however, their minds turned to business.

"You guys ready to face the Heldren?" Matt asked in a serious voice.

Natalie nodded with a determined gleam in her eyes, "More than ready."

"Same here," Anna added.

"Let's perforate 'em," Lance said with a smirk.

Godcat stood and stretched her legs in front of her, "Very well. NoLegs, you should stay away." She shook her head when the cat protested, "No, you don't have control of your body, and will merely be a target. Please stay out of the fight." NoLegs deflated and nodded his understanding before vanishing.

The team stood up, and filed outside. Once in the snow, Godcat resumed her larger form, and led the way towards the Heldren's summon point. The others fell in step, and they made their way south, each with an expression of determination. As they walked, they equipped various light-based weapons. Anna switched to her Angel Wing bow, Natalie pulled out her Seraphim staff and Lance shrugged on his God Hand rifle, and Matt kept Heaven's Gate across his back. An aura of light appeared around Godcat, similar to but weaker than her former godly aura, and would serve as a both a defense and a weapon.

They stopped outside of the cave Matt had first delved into at the start of the entire mess. Natalie clasped the swordsman's hand in her own when she saw him shiver, earning a grateful look from him in return. The lurking evil of the Heldren could be felt lingering in the air even from where they stood outside. Anna quietly pointed out a set of faint footsteps in the dusting of snow: their mystery masked man was already inside. Each saw this as a good thing, as they could take out both their foes at once.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Okay, next chapter is the epic battle! I will warn you now that the masked man will not be getting any more lines as, in my opinion, it isn't needed. His motive was already stated as wanting the destruction of everything. I really don't feel the need to extrapolate on that, so I won't. Feel free to leave your own theories as to why he would be like that in your reviews (hint, hint), though! I'll be back soon!_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N:** And here is the final chapter of_ Mortals, Gods, and Demons _! But first, some responses to my guest reviewers!_

 ** _Random Person:_** _Homework: the bane of all people, everywhere. And yes, Matt will certainly be getting his vengeance with the help of the team! I like to think Godcat's part(s) in the fight came out well, and I hope you do, too! I hope to see you back with an account and a review for the end! Thanks for taking the time to review so many of my chapters, I really do appreciate it a lot!_

 ** _Anonymous:_** _You got me thinking about how NoLegs would move now that he has legs. When I eventually get around to writing the sequel, he'll have his new legs under control. As of now, however, I imagine he probably still bounces around, but with legs: like some kind of deranged rabbit. I have seen the Final Battle several times along with the Black Mage's Attack. I'll probably add the buster sword as a limit break for NoLegs, as it would work well. Thank you for the idea; I'll try to remember to credit you for it when I write that part! I'd also like to thank you for reviewing my story so often! It's always fun and encouraging to hear what others think of my work, and the different perspectives are interesting to consider (and sometimes spark plot bunny rampages)._

 ** _Little Follower:_** _Yeah... The line did_ _originally refer to Godcat as a cat when I first wrote it, but I changed it after a lot of self-deliberation. The idea was that she is definitely sentient and intelligent, and it was a subtle way to show respect for her. Cat, for the team, generally refers to the brainless balls of fuzz that come at them with wooden signs and get killed in 1.5 seconds. I may change the line to what you suggested, but it honestly is a fairly small detail, and I'm lazy. :P  
_

 _Yes, Lance, at least in my works, is usually the one to cut right past the BS and slam the real issue with a pin-point Snipe. Unless the issue revolves around him, then we have the inability to step back and properly rationalize._

 _Yup, I try to keep my characters relatively similar in, well, character between my works. I'm glad you noticed: it means I'm doing it right!_

 _Yeah, I thought about changing NoLeg's name, but the only reasonable one would be Legs, which just sounds dumb. I mean, NoLegs sounds dumb, too, but I'm used to it. On top of that, I dislike changing canonical names, as I mentioned in a previous A/N._

 _Oops, yeah, I typed my A/Ns into FF's Document manager, so little typos like that don't get caught as easily (which compounds with my own usual typos). With other fics, I just type the A/Ns into the chapter, but MGaD is all in one document that I've been pulling sections out of. Obviously that makes putting the A/Ns in a bit of an unnecessary pain._

 _LOL I may have to write a story about a psycho brother for Lance. That sounds right up my fanfiction alley. XD_

 _Thank you so much for reviewing my story! I've loved reading and replying to each and every one of your reviews, and I hope to continue to see you on my other works!_

 _Now, then, on to the final chapter!_

* * *

Godcat took the first step into the cave, her ears pricked warily to catch any sound, and her whiskers twitching as they detected air currents and mana trails. Every motion she made was smooth and calculated grace. She was a cat on the prowl now, and her prey was an arch demon and its master. But her reasons were more personal now than they had been when she first called for aid. Before, she'd merely wanted the demon dead because of the threat it posed to the world at large. Now, it had caused Matt and the rest of her team to suffer. And no one got away with making them suffer without paying a dear price.

Matt and Natalie went in next, staying close behind the large cat. Their weapons were ready in hand, and they exchanged a single glance before letting go of each other. Natalie's eyes glinted with a fierce light as she vowed to take the Heldren down for its torment of Matt and for the sick games it played. Matt's own eyes had hardened as he anticipated ending the menace that had used him to slaughter and devour innocent people. It had mocked him for days so that even his own mind had not been a place of solace. This time would be different; this time, he had the rest of his team with him, and they were stronger than ever.

Lance and Anna brought up the rear, both focused and silent in their motions. Their eyes scanned the shadows warily for any sign of a presence. The only ones who would be leaving this cave alive were themselves and their friends. The Heldren had made the greatest mistake ever when it had chosen to prey on Matt, and they would be sure to show it the error of its actions. There would be no dodging, no hiding, and no mercy. Their marks were set on the demon, and nothing could save it now. It was only a matter of when.

The team came out into the large cavern. A swirl of powerful magic swept around the center of the room, flowing from the bloody sigil on the wall. In the center of the swirl was a cloaked figure, his black robe whipping in the magical gale. His arms were raised in supplication to the mark, and he chanted in a strange, hissing tongue. He flicked one of his hands and the arrow that Anna had launched towards him incinerated in thin air; the ashes that remained were caught up in the magic.

Godcat's fur bristled, and she sank into a crouch as her lips curled back from her fangs and hissed, "He's absorbing the Heldren into himself. That will stabilize the demon's otherwise volatile magic and augment his powers."

Natalie scowled, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

The mage raised her staff and a runic circle of white light appeared beneath the summoner. There was an explosion of light and magic as a powerful Judgement blasted up to engulf the man. An unearthly shriek echoed through the cavern, causing the fighters to wince. Black lines shot out of the column of light, and burst the magic, leaving wisps of light mana drifting around the room.

Natalie cursed and cast another Judgement while Godcat added to the magical assault. The cat took control of the mana floating about the room and directed them into needles of light that flew down towards the man. A single hit from one needle alone would do little, but a hail of them was a dangerous prospect.

Leathery wings burst out of the man's back and he took off, dodging the needles and the second Judgement. His robes bulged and shredded as his body convulsed and mutated. The team had been too late to stop the fusing of the Heldren and its summoner, and what faced them now was a twisted nightmare of a creature. Spines grew from the once-man's back. Horns curled out from under jet black hair. His skin was a sickly off-white color, and was spider-webbed with black veins. A tail that ended in four spikes writhed in the air. The limbs were long and grotesquely twisted, ending in four-fingered hands with hooked talons. The legs were much like the arms, but had become reverse jointed. His face was similar to a man's face aside from the mouth, which was a gaping hole lined with fangs like the arch demon's had been. Black, human-shaped eyes with glowing orange slit-pupils stared down at the fighters gathered to defeat it.

Lance's face was cold and impassive as he hefted God Hand up and blasted a stream of glowing white flames at the monstrosity that split into multiple jets partway into the attack. At the same moment, Anna let loose a flurry of arrows, her face twisted with disgust. Each arrow she fired glowed with the holy power of a Soul Arrow, but arced up and over like an Arrow Rain attack. Both fighters figured that the shift in their attacks was thanks to part of their gift from Godcat. A barrier that seemed to be comprised of shadows rose up, but could not block everything that came at it.

Matt leapt in front of Natalie and swung Heaven's Gate at the Heldren as it swooped down at the mage, talons outstretched and screeching. Light magic glistened along the blade, honing its already excellent edge even further to slash through the shadows defending the demon. He felt his blade bite into flesh and heard a shriek as black blood splattered down. The Heldren flitted away before the swordsman could follow up on his attack. A ball of light from Natalie, however, slammed into the demon where he'd weakened the barrier, and he shot her a fierce grin of approval.

Godcat watched the tattered form of the Heldren with narrowed eyes as it flew in erratic patterns to evade further damage. She briefly commended the rest of the team on flawless tactics and cohesion, working off each others' attacks, and covering potential weaknesses. Lance and Anna made it impossible for the Heldren to merely stay airborne, while Matt and Natalie made coming in for close combat too risky to attempt, with the swordsman never straying far from the mage so as to cover her from physical blows. It was amazing to watch, and she could once again see just why they had been able to hold even her off in her madness and rage.

The result of their attacks was that magical burns covered the demon's skin, arrows had torn through its wings, and black blood oozed thickly from a gash in its side. The fight was going well, so far, but Godcat knew it wasn't over yet. The demon had yet to attack, and she knew that that could be a turning point. They had to keep it off balance to prevent that. Her eyes traced the demon's path before she moved. It thought it was flying in an unpredictable pattern, but no living creature in this world was truly unpredictable. The Heldren in its purest form would have been a difficult opponent to predict, but the demon had fused with a man, and Godcat had created man. She knew how they thought, and she knew how to interrupt its path.

Godcat sprang for the cave wall and her claws sank into the stone before she pushed off for a stalactite. She clung there on the far side from the Heldren, and waited. The demon's attention was already divided four ways with the fighters below, and as she had stayed quiet after her first attack, it had ignored her. Perhaps it didn't know who she had been, and didn't know that she had a millennia of experience and knowledge. It would have been wise to take her out first, but it hadn't, and that would be its undoing. And sure enough, just as she had predicted, the Heldren came swooping towards where she clung above the battle field. Her muscles tensed in preparation.

The Heldren's attention was focused on the four fighters who kept it on its guard at all times, never granting it even a moment's pause to truly attempt a retaliation. The few minor hits it had gotten in were swiftly dealt with by Natalie's powerful healing magic. Any attempts it made to take out the mage were met with swift and painful retribution from Matt. In its frustration, it overlooked the fifth member of the team. It had the knowledge of its host, and knew much about the four humans, but because it had never seen the cat fighting alongside them, it had written the creature off. It assumed it was some sort of summon, and took no notice of the fact that it was now gone.

A massive weight suddenly slammed into the demon, forcing it towards the ground. It felt burning claws dig into the flesh of its shoulders, right beside the joints of its wings. The demon shrieked and writhed, trying to throw off the creature clinging to its back. But Godcat was tenacious in her assault. Her fangs flashed as she bit and tore at the bases of the wings. She paid no mind to their paired crash course for the ground.

The four humans watched in amazement as Godcat pounced on the Heldren midair. They'd known she was up there, but had been unsure as to why. But now it was clear: she was grounding the demon so that they could better destroy it. Black blood splattered her gleaming white fur, her eyes flashed with cold fury as she ripped at the muscles of the demon. The humans all tensed as they watched the Heldren suddenly drop from the air with Godcat still on its back, unable to continue supporting itself with all the damage it had taken. They held their breath when Godcat leapt off at the last moment, springing gracefully to the ground, leaving the demon to crash into the stone.

"Very nice," Lance complimented even as he raised God Hand for another Holy Fire spell.

Godcat didn't reply, but launched forwards at the Heldren, her claws extended and her face twisted into a snarl. She slammed into the demon, knocking it sideways just as it began to stagger up, sending it straight into Lance's attack. A split second later and Matt lunged forwards with Heaven's Gate leveled for a stab. Glowing arrows arced up and over the swordsman's head as he slid his blade into the demon's chest, peppering the demon.

And then, the Heldren's body melted into a puddle of inky black liquid. The pool slipped away, leaving Godcat and Matt staggering to regain their balance at the sudden loss of a target. Natalie narrowly watched the pool as it moved a few feet away and suddenly reformed into the demon, though it still retained its wounds. She blasted the monstrosity with another Judgement spell, only to stagger back with a shocked expression as the Heldren suddenly leapt at her with startling speed, its claws spread and its horrific mouth emitting a horrible screech. She was defenseless to close combat with Matt so far away.

A flash of white fur cut across Natalie's vision. Godcat had sprinted across the cavern, a blur of motion. She snagged the mage's arm in her mouth far enough back to avoid her canines, and yanked her out of the path of the attack. Natalie's shoulder wrenched from the sudden motion, and she had a shallow bite wound, but she was spared being speared by the Heldren's claws. Godcat, however, sustained four deep slashes along her flank. Still, the cat let Natalie drop and rounded to hiss at the demon with crimson blood running down her side.

The Heldren screeched back and lunged forwards again, intending to kill Natalie, only to meet a fiercely defensive wall of fur and muscle. Godcat's claws slashed, and she poured extra light magic into her claws. But her left side ached, and was an obvious target for a slam from the Heldren's spiked tail. Godcat yowled with pain as she staggered sideways. Her left legs gave out, and she crumpled to the ground, unable to get away as the demon loomed over her with yellow saliva dripping from its mouth. She shut her eyes to the sight and braced for the painful bite she knew was coming.

A singe arrow suddenly screamed towards the Heldren, surrounded with pulsing energy and tearing a great fissure into the stone of the cavern floor as it flew. It slammed into the Heldren's chest, tearing a gaping hole through it, and forcing the monster away from Godcat. Matt came flashing in with Heaven's gate glowing and an aura of power around him to rain six massive blows on the demon's crippled form, the last of which sent it crashing into a wall where it fell to the ground, limbs hanging by strips of flesh. Instantly, the stone erupted beneath it from an immense blast of magic as Lance's Rapture blasted the demon into the air.

Natalie clasped her hands in prayer as she watched the bloody, shredded, and charred remains of the Heldren hit the ground. The air rippled around her as her magic spread out over the room, washing over her allies, restoring their strength and healing their wounds. A massive cross exploded into being over the tainted remains, vaporizing them from existence. The blood comprising the sigil on the wall blackened and peeled away as it became dust that also vanished. The Heldren was defeated.

Godcat rolled to her paws, relieved at the smooth response and lack of any pain from her muscles. She was stunned at the immense power of each of the human's attacks, and at how coordinated their strikes had been. They had been ruthless and unstoppable in that final assault, and had both defeated the arch demon, and saved her own life. She had no idea where the hell they had suddenly gotten that kind of power boost, but was soon distracted when Matt approached her with a worried expression, asking if she was okay.

"A little shocked, and miffed that I got hit, but all right otherwise," Godcat replied after a moment. She met his eyes and purred, "You all did very well; that was an excellent battle."

Lance grunted with a smirk, "You expected less?"

"I think I expected to be dead at the very least," Godcat admitted.

"Not on our watch," Anna stated firmly.

Natalie ran a hand through the silky fur on Godcat's shoulder and said, "Thanks for that save back there. I'd be dead if you hadn't gotten me out of the way. I'm sorry you took a hit for me, though. Did your side heal up right?"

Godcat nodded, "Yes, perfectly, thank you."

Matt grinned, "Awesome, so do we go back to the inn at Whitefall to rest, or what?"

"That works for me. I still need some parts from the Disposal Plant for my Juggernaut," Anna replied with a shrug. She glanced over at Lance and asked, "Are you still willing to come along, Lance?"

Lance hesitated for a long moment before reluctantly shaking his head. Before he could open his mouth, however, Godcat replied, "Of course he would."

"I would?" Lance asked in a disgruntled tone with a glare at the cat.

Anna blinked away a hurt look as she mumbled, "You don't have to go. I'll just head there by myself."

"No, no, Lance would love to go with you," Godcat purred reassuringly. She stepped on Lance's foot with her hind paw, "Wouldn't you, Lance? You wouldn't want Anna to get hurt, would you?"

Lance suppressed a yelp and glared at the large cat who met his glare with a bored look as he hissed through gritted teeth, "I would be absolutely _delighted_ to escort you though the Plant, Anna."

Natalie covered her mouth with one hand to hide a grin as she watched Godcat coerce Lance into going with Anna. She wasn't quite sure _why_ Lance suddenly needed the shove, though, as he'd been looking forwards to the trip with Anna before the Heldren. Still, she smiled and said, "Well, you two can go after we get some food and rest. There should be enough time left in the afternoon for you guys to get whatever you need.

Anna was uncertainly watching Lance's face, but nodded, "O-okay, that works."

Matt watched the whole exchanged with a confused expression, but shrugged when they finally settled on a course of action. He turned to leave the cavern with the rest of the team trailing after him. Despite the fact that the harrowing battle had lasted for several hours, none of them actually felt very tired. They had immediately after the battle's end, but they had bounced back with surprising speed. Because of that fact, Lance and Anna split off as soon as they broke out of the trees to the south of Whitefall.

Godcat stepped in front of Lance, stopping his resigned trudge after Anna. Her colorful eyes met Lance's red ones as he impatiently sighed. "As I told Matt: A person makes their own fate. Do not let fear of one future that is no longer valid stop you from seeking what makes you happy," she murmured so that only he could hear.

Lance frowned uncertainly as he quietly asked, "But how do I know that other actions won't also lead to that?"

"You don't," Godcat replied bluntly with a flick of one ear. She stepped out of his way and added, "But just because you don't doesn't mean you stay frozen with fear. You will be alive for a long time, so I suggest that you seek something out that will be there as long as you, and cherish it."

Without waiting for a reply, Godcat padded though the snow, letting her tail brush affectionately against Lance's hand as she moved past him to join Natalie and Matt. The cat shrank down to her smaller form, and was bundled up in Natalie's arms. Lance stared after the three as they crunched off through the snow, talking about getting some food. The gunner turned Godcat's words over in his head for several long moments. It wasn't until Anna coughed lightly that he turned back to face her.

"You don't need to come," Anna offered quietly. "I know you only agreed because Godcat was pushing, but I don't want you feeling miserable and obligated. I've been through that place half a dozen times on my own with no trouble before, so I'll be fine by myself."

Lance made up his mind. Godcat was right that he couldn't worry about what-ifs and maybes; he'd have never gotten anything done in his life if he'd waited until everything was a for-sure outcome. The gunner shook his head with a smirk, "No, I don't mind coming. I call dibs on the first Laser Turret we see. I need some RAM chips for my rifle."

Anna silently studied Lance's face for a long moment. After a few seconds she asked, "Has your reluctance been coming from what Matt told us about the future that would have happened had he succeeded with his suicide?" Her eyes narrowed at the gunner's guilty wince and she stepped forwards to smack him on the arm.

"Hey, ow, what was that for?" Lance griped, rubbing the now-sore spot on his arm.

Anna smiled up at him and said sweetly, "I said I'd smack you if you tried pulling away, right?"

Lance rolled his eyes and dryly said, "Great, now my friend is turning abusive and controlling." Despite his words and tone, a smirk tugged at his lips, and grew wider when Anna laughed. He fell in step beside her as they headed for the Disposal Plant. He decided that, yes, life would be more pleasant and interesting with a close bond.

Back at the inn, Matt, Godcat, and Natalie were each eating warm food. NoLegs was there, too, and ate beside Godcat under the table at the insistence of the inn owner. The formerly legless cat was still shaky on his new limbs, but had improved greatly since his arrival that morning. He had, at first, been wary to eat beside his creator, and especially on the floor, but the white cat merely said that she was no longer a god, and didn't much care for decorum anymore. Now the pair chatted back and forth with quiet mews.

Natalie sipped at her hot chocolate as she watched Matt devour his third helping of stew. The swordsman was in much higher spirits now that the Heldren had been defeated, and she was glad to see it. She'd never seen him so depressed before, and the emotion had been wrong coming from the cheerful blond. But now, he'd avenged the people the demon had slaughtered, and seemed to have put his own unwilling part in it behind him.

"So, where will you be heading next?" Natalie asked when Matt set his bowl down with a content sigh.

Matt shrugged, "Dunno. I suppose we'll still be setting off when the storms clear out of Goldenbrick. That's only a few weeks away. I'm not sure I can get any decent materials in that span of time; certainly not enough to upgrade anything. Lance and Anna are lucky that their supplies are easy to come by, I'll have to track down a number of dragons—and then beat them—for the stuff I need."

Natalie nodded, "I see." She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting him to say. Inwardly, she was disappointed that Matt didn't seem to care that he'd revealed his feelings for her. After a few moments, she asked, "Maybe we can find and kill some dragons working together?"

Matt grinned, "Dragon hunting for a first date? I was sure you'd ask to go to the park, or something."

Natalie's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. Matt held her eyes with a faint tinge of pink on his cheeks, though he still grinned. The mage finally snapped her mouth shut and her face split into a warm smile. She'd thought too soon: Matt had remembered, and was definitely thinking about them as a couple.

"Parks are nice, but dragons always roost where the best views are," Natalie chuckled.

Matt's eyes sparkled as he said, "I knew there was a reason I like you. We can head out after Lance and Anna get back." The swordsman slid his chair back to look under the table, "Hey, NoLegs, Godcat? Natz and I are going to go hunt dragons tomorrow. Do you two want to come along, or would you be okay by yourselves?"

Godcat exchanged a look with NoLegs before replying, "You two can go on ahead. NoLegs and I will be figuring out what powers have been returned to him as a cat due to my joining to the team."

"Sounds good," Matt agreed. "We'll all be meeting up in Goldenbrick in about two weeks, so we'll summon you then."

"What's the occasion?" Godcat asked curiously.

Natalie slid back to reply, "We're going to some unexplored continent. It's apparently only been recently discovered, and filled with dangerous monsters." She shot a grin over at Matt and added, "We've seen just about everything around here so we're moving on, and it sounds like the team's kind of place."

Godcat nodded, "It will be interesting to see how the world has changed over the millennia. If you'll excuse us, we'll be heading out now. See you in two weeks."

The two humans bid the cats farewell. There was a brief flash of light, and then the cats were gone. Natalie stood up and followed Matt to their room. Both felt relaxed, and looked forwards to new experiences. Their team was stronger than ever, and the future was bright.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** And there we go! I hope you all enjoyed this last chapter! I like to think the fight came out quite well. :3 The ending was kinda, eh, in my opinion, but I feel that way about all of my endings. think the problem is that I don't want it to end, so i inherently hate that part.  
_

 _ **THANK YOU** to everyone who left reviews, and to all the silent readers! I love reading your responses, and it is a major encouragement to see them! It's also nice to see the got so many readers in a fairly short time._

 _I won't be posting a sequel for quite some time. My other posted works have been sadly neglected, and really should be getting priority. For those of you reading_ Shadow of the Blight, _or_ Retribution _, I've started both of the next chapters! I hope to get one or both of them up within a couple weeks, work and plot bunnies willing._

 _Now then, leave me a few reviews, and I'll see you on other fics! Thanks for reading! \\(^0^)/_


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